Scion a Campers! story
by Neuropsych
Summary: (FINISHED) O'Neill and the team get an accidental glimpse of what might be... (PG-13 for possible language and violence, but probably only PG)
1. Default Chapter

Scion a Campers! Story  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SG-1, or the SGC, or any of that stuff. I don't even own Thor or the Asgard. However, I do own Shawn and any of the other characters I've made up, so if you want to use them, ask! (Although, again, I can't see why anyone would)  
  
~*~  
  
The Gate activated, and the iris closed automatically.  
  
"Unscheduled off world activation! Repeat, unscheduled off world activation!"  
  
Hammond turned at the noise and looked through the bulletproof glass of the SGC main Command center and watched as his security teams reacted to the alert professionally and quickly. They took up positions all around the Gate, weapons ready, and hands steady.  
  
Then he looked down at the Sergeant that was manning the computer.  
  
"Receiving SG-1's transmitter code, Sir."  
  
"SG-1 isn't off world, Sergeant."  
  
Hammond looked over the younger man's shoulder and saw that he was right; the computer was saying that SG-1 was going to come through the Gate at any moment. The problem with that was that SG-1 had just walked into the room behind him. Well, half of SG-1 had, anyways. Carter and Dr. Jackson were there. Teal'c and Jack O'Neill had gone to shower. SG-1 had returned from a mission less than an hour before. Fraiser had just cleared them to leave the infirmary, and they hadn't even debriefed yet.  
  
"What's up?" Daniel asked as he walked over, his eyes on the Gate, was glowing brightly behind the tightly closed iris.  
  
"Apparently, SG-1 is coming through the Gate." Hammond said, turning to Carter as though expecting an explanation.  
  
Carter hated it when people did that. Just because she was the resident computer genius didn't mean she could answer the questions just off the top of her head like everyone seemed to expect her to. She had no idea why the computer was saying it was SG-1.  
  
"I don't know what to say, Sir," She said, looking over the Sergeant's shoulder and pushing a key on the keyboard. "It's SG-1's code."  
  
"How can that be?"  
  
"Um... you're going to have to decide whether to open the iris or not, General," Daniel said. "Whoever they are, they're probably going to be coming soon."  
  
"It could be the Tok'ra, or someone else, just using our code, I suppose," Carter said. Of course, they had their own codes, so that would be dumb, but it was all she could think of in such a short time.  
  
"And it could be the Goa'uld," Daniel said.  
  
"How would they get our code?"  
  
"How would the Tok'ra?" He asked. "I didn't give it to them. Did you?"  
  
"Enough." Hammond didn't have time for this. He leaned forward, and made a quick decision. Better to fight an enemy you've let in than to kill a friend. "Security teams, look alive. Open the iris, Sergeant."  
  
The metal shield that stood as the first line of defense opened immediately, and the armed security teams braced for the worst as they saw the protection go. There was a flare – one that they didn't normally see when the gate was opened, although a few of them might have remembered seeing such a thing once before if they'd been thinking about it just then. Of course, none of them were. They were all thinking the worst was going to come, which was how they were trained to think.  
  
It happened so fast that if it had been an attack it still might have taken them by surprise. A lone figure came hurtling through the Gate, crashing to the ramp and tumbling down it with a force that made everyone wince including those in the Command center. Every weapon in the place was trained on him, but he struggled to get to his feet only once, and then lay still in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the ramp. The gate disengaged. Whatever the threat was, it was only going to come from this lone individual.  
  
Hammond, Carter and Daniel came through the door a moment later, and Hammond led them over to the fallen form, trusting his security teams to back him up if it was a trick. From the pool of blood forming under the figure, though, it wasn't a very good one. Carter knelt down next to him, running her hand carefully along his lower back, and then up his body to his head, and shook her head and looked up at Hammond.  
  
"I don't feel anything, Sir. I think he's clean."  
  
She looked down at the figure again, just as the door whooshed open and Jack O'Neill came in, his hair drenched, ad quite obviously just out of the shower. He took in the scene instantly, and walked over, followed by Teal'c.  
  
"Who's this?"  
  
"Medical team to the embarkation room!" Hammond called, knowing the order would be passed. Whoever he was, he was bleeding all over their floor.  
  
The figure was dressed in military BDUs, and they were identical to the ones Carter was still wearing. He was lying on his stomach, so they couldn't really get a good look at him, but Carter saw that his shoulder was sporting an SG-1 mission patch, and he was impossibly young to be wearing the silver oak leaves that proclaimed him to be a Lieutenant Colonel. She ran her hand along his neck carefully, finding the dog tag chain she was looking for as well as another necklace. She pulled them both off, gently and stepped back as Fraiser and a team of medics came storming through the door and took in the situation.  
  
Carter looked down at her hand. She was holding one set of dog tags and a necklace that was made out of leather strips all braided together, with an odd looking arrowhead hanging from the very center.  
  
"Oh, my..." it wasn't the same, but it was eerily familiar to the one that Jack wore almost constantly.  
  
She handed the necklace to Daniel, who'd be able to tell for certain that it wasn't, then looked at the dog tags.  
  
"Who is he, Major?" Asked Hammond, a little impatiently.  
  
Her eyes grew wide, and her face pale as she read the information.  
  
"According to this, he's Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Lincoln Adams, Sir."  
  
~*~  
  
Author's Note: I had to rewrite this a little; because Verse12 caught a pretty big error that I just couldn't pretend wasn't there. (Thanks, by the way!) This story is probably sometime in season 4, so what the SGC people know, it's only stuff they know up until then... just for clarification. 


	2. 02

Author's Note: Cylons are from Battlestar Galactica (although I might have spelled that wrong.) A scion is something completely different  
  
~*~  
  
"Give me those."  
  
Jack reached over and took the dog tags from Carter, looking at them carefully. Daniel looked down at the arrowhead necklace he was holding, but he didn't recognize the tribe it might have come from. He slid it into his pocket for later study.  
  
"Does the SGC have a Shawn Lincoln Adams that I don't know about?" Daniel asked.  
  
"No." Jack said, reading the same name on the tags that Carter had. He looked over at the crowd of people surrounding the figure on the floor.  
  
"Shawn? Our Shawn?" Hammond asked, confused. "Is his middle name Lincoln?"  
  
"Yes, Sir." Jack said. It wasn't common knowledge. Of course, if Jack's middle name was Lincoln, no one would know. "They're just dog tags, Sir. I could put dog tags on saying I'm Batman, but it doesn't make me him."  
  
"Where's Shawn at now?"  
  
Jack looked at his watch. "He should be in school."  
  
"Colonel, call his school and make sure he's still there. I don't know what's going on, but I want to make sure we know where that boy is at all times."  
  
"Yes, Sir." Jack left the room, glancing once more at the crowd of medics.  
  
"Doctor?"  
  
Fraiser looked up, her gloved hands covered in blood, a worried expression on her face.  
  
"Is he a Goa'uld?"  
  
"I doubt it, Sir. We'll find out when we take him into surgery." Which was the first place they were going.  
  
"Keep me informed."  
  
Fraiser didn't reply, but he knew she would.  
  
"Stay with him, Major." Hammond ordered. "I want an armed team outside whatever room he's in at all times. Just in case." The General wasn't ready to let his guard down just yet.  
  
"Doctor Jackson, see if you can get a message to the Asgard. If anything's going on with Shawn, they're the ones that would know first."  
  
"They wouldn't be dumb enough to cross Jack-"  
  
"They've done it before," Hammond said. "Just ask one of them – preferably Thor – to get hold of us."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
Daniel left the room, too, leaving Hammond, Teal'c and Carter to watch as Fraiser's team lifted the wounded man onto a back board and then onto a gurney. Sam managed to get a glimpse of his face, then. Even younger than she'd first assumed – early twenties at the most, she decided. His hair looked darker because of the blood that was matting it, but it was brown, she was sure. As she followed the gurney out of the room, waving a team of the security forces over to come with her, Carter's agile mind was already working on the puzzle. Unfortunately, there were way too many pieces missing to solve anything just yet.  
  
~*~  
  
"He's in school. I even talked to him," Jack said about 15 minutes later as he joined her outside the room Fraiser had disappeared into with her patient. Sam could understand the relief in O'Neill's voice; she felt the same way. At least they knew it wasn't Shawn. Well, it wasn't their Shawn anyways.  
  
"I've been thinking, Sir."  
  
"I figured you had, Carter," Jack said, smiling to make it sound a little less like a rebuke. "What have you been thinking about?"  
  
"Who's to say it isn't Shawn in there?" She asked, pointing at the door of the operating room.  
  
"Sam, I just told you I talked to Shawn on-"  
  
"This Shawn, yes. Our Shawn. Our eleven-year-old Shawn. What if he's the same person, from another time?"  
  
Jack raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Another time?"  
  
"We went back in time, who's to say it can't happen to someone else?"  
  
"We don't know that he's not just some greasy Goa'uld trying to pull a fast one, Carter."  
  
"We'll have Janet do a DNA test. That would prove it one way or the other. Right?"  
  
"Prove what?" Hammond asked, walking over. He'd seen O'Neill and was going to make sure that Shawn was where he was supposed to be.  
  
Carter explained her theory, and Jack's misgivings.  
  
"I don't know that it would prove anything," Hammond said, shrugging, "But it's not a bad idea. At least we'd know what – who – we were dealing with, anyways."  
  
"Providing he lives," Jack said, looking towards the door. "I'm not a doctor, but he left a pretty hefty blood stain on our front door."  
  
"You've left a few of them yourself, Colonel," Hammond reminded Jack. "We'll have to wait and see, then. Until we know, though, I want the guards right where they are, and I want to make sure the camera to the operating room stays manned. No surprises, people."  
  
"You mean, beyond the ones we've already had?" Jack clarified.  
  
"Exactly." 


	3. 03

They were gathered in the briefing room, but they weren't talking. A monitor had been brought in so that they could keep track of what was going on inside the operating room without standing outside the door looking in the window. It was too far away to show any bloody details of the surgery – which was fine with all of them – but they could see immediately if something happened that required the security teams that were standing outside the door.  
  
Daniel wasn't watching the monitor. He had been to his office and had books piled on the table in front of him as he tried to figure out the origins of the arrowhead that Carter had taken from around the stranger's neck. Oddly enough, he wasn't having any luck. As far as he could tell, no tribe ever in the history of the planet had ever made one with the weird jagged edges that this one had.  
  
He sighed, and pushed the last book away from him, disgruntled.  
  
"Nothing?" Sam asked, understanding his frustration. She hated it when something she was working on wasn't coming out right.  
  
"I've never seen anything like it." He confessed.  
  
"It's not Ute?" Jack asked, innocently. When Shawn had found the one that he'd eventually given Jack, the tribe of origin had been a big deal among the kids that had been there.  
  
"It's not anything," Daniel complained. He sighed again. "Are you wearing yours? Can I see it?"  
  
Jack wordlessly reached under his shirt, pulling out the necklace and slipping it off over his head. His look told Daniel everything, though, as he handed it over to his friend. Look, but don't mess it up. Daniel wouldn't have dreamed of doing anything to it, he knew what it meant to Jack.  
  
Daniel looked at Jack's, comparing it to the one they'd pulled from the stranger's neck, but there wasn't much there. The leather was similar, but leather was anyways, so that wasn't much help. Jack's arrowhead was, definitely, Ute. Daniel had known that when he saw it the first time, and this other one was something completely different.  
  
"Beats me," Daniel said, handing Jack's back to him.  
  
"Maybe it's not from Earth," Sam said.  
  
Both men looked at her.  
  
"Well... he's on an SG team, isn't he? What if he picked it up somewhere off- world?"  
  
"He's not on an SG team, Carter," Jack said, irritated. "I know all the people on SG-1, and he's not one of them."  
  
"He could be," Daniel said. "If Sam's right about the whole going back in time thing."  
  
Jack scowled, and looked over at the monitor where they could plainly see Fraiser working hard to save the life of the young man.  
  
"He's not."  
  
Sam had a feeling that Jack thought she might be right, but that he didn't want her to be. If she was, then it meant that it really was Shawn lying on that table, and that wasn't something Jack wanted to deal with. It was easier to assume he wasn't. And Sam had to admit it was entirely possible that she was wrong and it was some kind of Goa'uld trick. Although they knew for a fact, now, that the man himself wasn't Goa'uld.  
  
"He could be," Daniel pressed.  
  
"If he is a member of a future SG-1, then where are the remaining members of his team?" Teal'c asked.  
  
"Exactly," Jack said. "When we went to 1969, we all went together."  
  
"Maybe they got separated?" Daniel asked.  
  
"Or maybe it's a snake trick."  
  
"Or maybe not..."  
  
Jack was about to retort in usual fashion, but there was a flash of bright white light, and they all turned to see that Thor had joined them in the briefing room.  
  
"Thor!"  
  
"Greetings, O'Neill," the little alien said, nodding to Jack and then to the others in the room, including Hammond, who'd been in his office with the door open and had seen the light and knew what it meant.  
  
"Just the man we wanted to see." Jack said. Then rethought that. "Alien, I mean. Well, you know what I mean."  
  
"We received your message," Thor said, taking Jack's comments in stride as he normally did when he didn't have a clue what he was talking about. "What has occurred?"  
  
"About an hour ago, we had an unauthorized gate activation, and the young man that came through is somewhat of a mystery." Hammond said before Jack could say anything.  
  
"In what way?"  
  
"He's carrying identification that makes it appear he's Shawn." Sam said.  
  
The Asgard looked at her.  
  
"Our Shawn," Jack elaborated.  
  
"Shawn Adams?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"That is not possible. At the moment, his current location is Roosevelt elementary school."  
  
"That's what I told them," Jack said.  
  
"Thor? Is it possible that he's from the future?" Sam asked. "That maybe an accident with the Stargate sent him here, somehow?"  
  
"It is highly unlikely, Major Carter." Thor said. "There would have to be a precise-"  
  
"But it could happen?" Sam pressed. "If everything happened exactly wrong? A solar flare near the wormhole at the point-"  
  
"Is there any way the Asgard can make certain?" Hammond asked, interrupting before Jack could.  
  
"We could compare a DNA from the boy with a sample taken from the man," Thor suggested.  
  
"That's what we were going to do," Carter said.  
  
"Our results would be instantaneous."  
  
"We'll let you do it, then," Hammond decided. The less time they had to wait, the better.  
  
"If you supply me with the samples, I will return to my ship and make the comparisons," Thor told them.  
  
"I'll tell Doctor Fraiser we need a sample," Hammond told the group. "Jack, you take a medic and go to Shawn's school and get some blood from him."  
  
"I'm not so sure that they'll let me walk onto the playground and start pricking their students, Sir."  
  
"We'll call ahead and make something up by the time you get there."  
  
"Don't let him know what's going on, Sir," Sam said.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because if I'm right and it really is him in there, we need to keep him as far away from Cheyenne Mountain as we can. To keep his own future safe."  
  
Jack didn't even pretend to understand that, he just shrugged and nodded. "Come up with something and call me and let me know what it is," he told them, walking for the door.  
  
"I shall accompany you, O'Neill." Teal'c said, following him out. 


	4. 04

Author's Note: Sorry this wasn't up sooner, but I had a full morning, and couldn't get any writing in... darn it!  
  
~*~  
  
"Thor?" Carter watched as Jack and Teal'c left, then turned to look at the little gray alien. "Is there any way you could help Doctor Fraiser with the man she's operating on? Use that medical thing you used on Shawn that one time to heal his ankle, I mean?"  
  
"The healing devices do not work so well on humans, Major Carter. They are not really designed for-"  
  
"It worked on his ankle."  
  
"The ankle injury was not as traumatic as the injuries this man has obtained. I am not certain how much good it will-"  
  
"Could it hurt him if it doesn't work?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then could we try?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
He vanished, and a moment later returned, carrying the small device he'd once used before. Sam had been tempted to try the Goa'uld healing device, but her control over the thing was minimal at the best of times, and she didn't want to risk something that might not work. If Thor was willing, then it was better to go with what they knew would work.  
  
"I'll take you to the operating room," Hammond offered. He turned to Carter, "Think of a good cover story for O'Neill."  
  
~*~  
  
Carter was good at making split-second decisions. Most military personnel who reached any advanced rank with any kind of combat experience were, but Jack personally believed Sam was one of the most levelheaded thinkers when it came to an emergency that there was. Unfortunately, she was terrible at making up cover stories. He wondered if it was just that her brilliant mind was too filled with theories and speculations and equations that there was no room for wasted imagination, or if it was just that she was a terrible liar. Whatever it was, he was shaking his head by the time he turned off his cell phone.  
  
"What is the cover story, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. The Jaffa was sitting beside Jack in his truck, and there was a military Corpsman in the jump seat behind him, holding a small bag of medical equipment on his lap.  
  
"They need a blood sample from Shawn for his pre-entrance physical into the Air force Academy. One now, one in two years, and another right before he goes in. Carter told the school administrators that it was a new program the military was doing. Some kind of anti-steroid thing."  
  
"That's dumb," The corpsman said from the back seat.  
  
"It could happen." O'Neill was quick to jump to Carter's defense, even though he personally agreed with the man. Of course, it was an automatic thing to do. The corpsman shrugged, but didn't say anything else as they all got out of the truck.  
  
"Carter said that the school administrators will have him waiting for us in the nurse's office."  
  
Jack had been to Shawn's school a few times before, and knew his way around pretty well, so it didn't take them long before they were signing in at the main office, and then heading to the nurse's office which was just down the hall.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
Shawn was all smiles when he saw the three of them walk in, and O'Neill grinned and ruffled his hair fondly, feeling the same gooey feeling in his stomach he always felt when he saw the boy. Still a boy, but he was growing like a weed.  
  
"Hey buddy, sorry about taking you out of class."  
  
"It's okay, I never do anything in class anyways, you know."  
  
He did know. They were seriously considering talking to Shawn's parents about skipping him a few years in school. The classes he was taking in school were nothing for him compared to what the Asgard were teaching him, and Jack was worried he was going to get bored and do something dumb. Again. More advanced classes – maybe even high school level ones – would keep him occupied far more than the ones he was taking now.  
  
"It is good to see you, Shawn," Teal'c said, smiling at the boy as well.  
  
"Hey Murray." Shawn wasn't going to hug either of his friends in front of the school nurse, but Jack and Teal'c both knew if there were no one around, he would have been eager for one.  
  
"This is..." Jack looked over at the corpsman. He didn't know the guy's first name, only his last. "Corporal Dasani. He's going to take a blood sample, okay?"  
  
"It won't hurt," the corpsman assured the boy, opening his bag and pulling out the equipment he was going to need. Including a needle that looked far too long to Jack, who wasn't all that fond of needles anyways. But who was?  
  
Shawn rolled up his sleeve and held still for the man.  
  
"What are you doing this weekend, Shawn?" Jack asked, more to keep his mind off the needle.  
  
"Dad's taking me fishing. Want to come?"  
  
"I'd love to, you know that." Jack grinned, and shook his head. "But I can't. Murray and I might have to go out of town."  
  
Shawn looked at him with interest, knowing that out of town usually meant off-world, but Jack didn't elaborate, and Shawn knew he wasn't going to. Especially with the nurse in the room watching.  
  
"Want me to watch Jaffer and Jack?" He offered.  
  
"Not if you're going fishing." Jack had been to the vet's with Jaffer more times than he cared to think about when it came to fishing accidents. The black lab had grown up around fishing poles and STILL hadn't managed to figure out that the hook thing at the end of line was not meant for him. The two of them were a running joke at the vet's. Especially since the bright Saturday afternoon that they'd shown up at the office with two hooks in Jaffer's upper lip, and another buried deep in Jack's bleeding forearm.  
  
"All finished," the corpsman said, smiling and wrapping a bandage around the boy's arm. He had a small vial of blood in one hand, which he put into his bag.  
  
"Okay, buddy. Guess you have to go back to class, huh?"  
  
"Unless you want to sign me out of school for the rest of the day?" Shawn asked, smiling. He put a hand to his forehead, and gave his best miserable look. "I feel faint from all the blood I've lost. I should probably go home and sit on the couch and play video games to recuperate."  
  
"Or you should go and finish your math test," The school nurse said, laughing as she came over and made sure the corpsman had bandaged him properly and that it wasn't going to slip off during school and get blood all over everything.  
  
Jack smiled, and walked to the door with Teal'c and Dasani. "If I don't see you before your weekend fishing trip, have fun and tell your dad hi for me, okay?"  
  
"Okay, Jack. Tell Sam and Daniel hi for me, okay?"  
  
"Will do." 


	5. 05

Thor stood next to the operating table beside Fraiser, ignoring the blood that seemed to be everywhere in favor of taking a moment to study the human on the table.  
  
"Can you help him?" Fraiser asked. She wasn't trying to rush the Asgard, but if he couldn't help, then she needed to get back to what she'd been doing, which had been sewing his liver back together.  
  
"I will try."  
  
The device was a brilliant blue as the Asgard brought it up against the young man's body, and Thor held it against the area that Fraiser pointed as the most serious of the injuries. The device glowed brightly for almost a full minute before it finally started to fade in hue, which Carter assumed meant it was healing. Thor moved it again before it completely faded, pressing it against another bleeding area, and the device once more brightened then faded slowly.  
  
The only noise in the small room was the noise of the equipment, because everyone else was holding their breath, watching intently as the more serious wounds began closing from the inside out. The monitoring machines – EKG and EEG mostly – had been making erratic noises before Thor started using the device, but by the time he pulled it away for the last time, they had leveled out to steady lines and steady beeping. The gadget was still glowing a muted blue, but the Asgard stepped back.  
  
"It worked far better than I expected," he said in his soft voice. "He is not healed completely, but he is out of danger. The healing device uses the energies of the person to heal them, and to do anymore at the moment would risk far more than he would gain."  
  
Fraiser checked her machines and gave the unconscious man a quick check, and nodded her agreement as she gestured for her surgery team to continue working on the smaller injuries that hadn't been taken care of. These mostly just required cleaning and stitches.  
  
"He's right, Sir," she confirmed with a relieved sigh. "He's out of danger."  
  
"We're sure he's not a Goa'uld?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. He's not a Goa'uld or a Tok'ra. We'd have found the simbiote."  
  
"Thor will need a DNA sample, Doctor. Can you give him one?"  
  
"Of course, Sir." There was blood everywhere. She'd have no trouble with that request. "I'll bring it to you as soon as I get him settled in the infirmary, if that's all right?"  
  
"That's fine," Hammond told her. "We need to wait for Colonel O'Neill to get back, anyways."  
  
"I will return to my ship," Thor said, handing Hammond a communication device. "When O'Neill returns, call and I will come for the samples."  
  
Hammond nodded, and Thor vanished in a bright light.  
  
"We'll get out of your way, Doctor." Hammond said, heading for the door and gesturing for Sam and Daniel to join him. None of them were particularly squeamish, but the room wasn't that large, and the doctors and nurses weren't finished.  
  
"Thank you, Sir." Fraiser turned back to her patient, and didn't even notice when the door closed behind them.  
  
~*~  
  
Jack and Teal'c returned only a short time after Thor had returned to his ship. The Colonel was in good spirits – visiting Shawn always put him in a good mood – and he was still smiling when he reported in to Hammond.  
  
"You got your sample, Colonel?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. Shawn's at school, and Teal'c and I both saw him and spoke to him. He's definitely not an illusion."  
  
"We did, indeed."  
  
"Good."  
  
Of course, Sam thought; if she was right, it didn't matter where the eleven- year-old Shawn was. She didn't say anything, though, since it wasn't worth bringing up.  
  
"That wouldn't matter, really, would it?" Daniel asked. Sam sighed, inwardly. Leave it to Daniel.  
  
"What doesn't matter?" Jack asked, looking over at his friend. "That Shawn's where he belongs? Yeah, I'd say that matters a lot."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"But if Sam's right, then the guy that Janet's taking care of right now is the same-"  
  
"Daniel." Sam interrupted, feeling a headache coming on. "Why don't we just wait and see what the tests show us before we start arguing about it?"  
  
"Good idea," Hammond agreed, touching the communicator. He didn't feel like listening to a bunch of hypotheticals, either. Besides, Daniel Jackson could piss Jack O'Neill off faster than pretty much anyone, and Hammond wasn't ready to listen to that, either. Not if it wasn't necessary.  
  
Thor returned immediately, as he'd promised, and almost right after that the door to the briefing room opened and Fraiser walked in, holding two vials of blood. She saw Thor and handed them directly over to him.  
  
"One of the man in my infirmary, one of Shawn Adams," she confirmed.  
  
"We appreciate you doing this, Thor," Hammond told him.  
  
"We want the mystery solved as well, General Hammond," the Asgard replied. And he vanished, taking the blood samples with him.  
  
"God I want one of those things," Jack said, walking over and sitting down next to Carter to wait for any word from Thor.  
  
~*~  
  
Word came far sooner than any of them expected. The five of them – Hammond, and SG-1 – had all taken a seat at the briefing table and listened while Fraiser described the injuries the young man had sustained.  
  
"He must have been very close to some kind of large explosion," She told them. "There were several broken bones, contusions, and shrapnel injuries. Whatever it was, the only thing that saved him was probably his Kevlar vest."  
  
Jack could relate to that, as could the other members of his team.  
  
"His liver was damaged badly, as was one kidney, and both lungs were punctured, but thanks to the Asgard device, we managed to save all the organs. Really, if Thor hadn't been near by, we almost certainly would have lost him. His-"  
  
A bright light cut her report off, and they looked over toward it, and saw that Thor had returned.  
  
"That was quick," Jack said, impressed.  
  
"The results are instant, O'Neill." Thor said. "Although I ran the test several times, just to be certain of them."  
  
"What did you find out?" Hammond asked.  
  
"The man in your infirmary is not entirely human."  
  
"Ha!" Jack couldn't help the relief he felt, although he knew the reaction was a little childish. Even for him.  
  
"So it is not Shawn Adams, then?" Teal'c clarified.  
  
"Not human?" Sam asked at the same time. "He looks pretty human."  
  
"He certainly does," Fraiser agreed. She'd seen him from the inside out, after all.  
  
"He is part human," Thor said, trying to answer them all at the same time, and unable to do so. "We have to do a little more study on the samples to see for sure what else he is, but he's human, and something else as well."  
  
"What else?"  
  
"Samples?" Jack had caught the plural where no one else had.  
  
Thor turned to O'Neill.  
  
"The man – or whatever he is – that is in your infirmary is not completely human, O'Neill. However, his DNA is an exact match to that of Shawn Adams." 


	6. 06

Author's note: sorry guys, it wasn't very fair of me to leave a cliffhanger like that at the start of what I should have known was going to be a busy family day! I'll make it up to you, I promise.  
  
~*~  
  
"Wait a minute," Daniel said, before Jack or anyone else could even open their mouths. "You just said that guy in there isn't human."  
  
"I said he was only partially a human." Thor corrected.  
  
"Then he can't be a genetic match to Shawn," Carter said, confused. "Shawn's a little boy. There's no way he's-"  
  
"What did you do to him?" Jack growled at the Asgard. His reaction was automatically suspicious towards the Asgard, since they were the ones that had been talking about using Shawn ever since they first met him. God only knew what kind of experiments the little gray aliens had been performing on the boy – and probably without Shawn even knowing.  
  
"We've done nothing to him, O'Neill." Thor assured Jack, looking over at him calmly, although everyone else in the room was tense, as if expecting Jack to go over the table after Thor.  
  
"There's no way he can be a match for that guy in the infirmary," Jack said. "Not unless you've done some-"  
  
"I'd like to run these tests myself," Fraiser interrupted. She was always suspicious of results that weren't her own.  
  
"Yes, that's a good-"  
  
"Wait a minute," Daniel interrupted again. "If he's only half-human, what's the other half?"  
  
"We are not certain. We were only checking for human DNA, after all." Thor said. He looked at O'Neill again. "This is as much a surprise to us as it is to you, Colonel O'Neill. The Asgard have done nothing to him. I, myself, have been in charge of his instruction and I would have been the first to know."  
  
"Who cares what it is?" Jack asked, annoyed that Daniel had even brought that up. "Change him back!"  
  
"We did not 'change' him in the first place, O'Neill." Thor repeated. He gave what was for him an exasperated sigh, and turned to Hammond. "The Asgard are looking into this, General, but we understand that you will want to do your own investigating. I will bring the samples for Doctor Fraiser to run her own tests on – although she is welcomed to use the equipment on my ship for faster results, and will be at your disposal should you have any more questions."  
  
"I've got a million quest-"  
  
"Colonel." Hammond looked over at Jack, stopping his interruption. He waited until he was sure that O'Neill wasn't going to say anything further, and then turned to Thor. "We appreciate that, Thor. The sooner you can get those samples back to Doctor Fraiser, the better, I think."  
  
"I'd like to see your results as well," Fraiser said.  
  
"Of course." Thor looked at the doctor. "If it is acceptable, I will take you back to my ship with me so you can get started."  
  
Fraiser looked at Hammond, but the General made it plain that it was up to her. She'd have access to faster results, and far better technology, but she did have a patient in the infirmary that might need her.  
  
"I'd need to be in constant contact with my infirmary," Fraiser said. "At least have a way that they can contact me."  
  
"We can supply that."  
  
"This is stupid!" Jack stood up, pushing his chair back against the wall with a crashing sound. "He can't be Shawn. Not if he's not human. It's not like we found Shawn on another planet! We found him at Summer Camp. In the mountains. Doing kid stuff. Maybe we should test the other boys? Maybe they're all aliens, too? Maybe it's in the water up there." He turned to Sam, "How ya feeling Carter? Got any extra eyeballs growing out of your elbow?"  
  
He turned and stalked to the door.  
  
"Where are you going, Colonel?"  
  
"I'm going to go see this guy for myself."  
  
"Get back-"  
  
O'Neill was already out the door, and wouldn't have listened if he'd heard him. He'd had enough. Time travel and aliens and who knew what else? For God's sake, he'd spent all morning on a dirtbag of a planet chasing false trails in order to find Daniel some kind of evidence to support who knew what theory, and then he comes home to this?  
  
No one knew Shawn better than Jack did, and he knew the kid wasn't an alien. Part alien. He was just a little kid. This guy in the infirmary couldn't be him. But, Jack also knew that Sam wasn't wrong very often, and he'd come to accept that when she said something – even in speculation – it needed to be checked. So Jack was going to do some checking of his own. He didn't know what he was going to look for, but he was certain that if he could see the guy, he'd know if it were Shawn.  
  
The others followed O'Neill, including Thor. Jack was angry, and while Fraiser was pretty sure he wasn't going to do anything to hurt her patient, you just never knew with him. They didn't say anything as they walked down the corridors to the infirmary, following an equally silent Jack. He walked into the infirmary and made a beeline for the bed the injured man was in, ignoring the medical personnel who asked him if there was anything they could do for him. The others stopped at the door, watching at a distance, waiting to see what Jack was doing. 


	7. 07

They'd done a good job of cleaning him up. The blood that Sam had noticed matting the dark brown hair was gone, and his smooth face was no longer smeared with crimson. They'd swathed him in bandages, from his armpits down his entire body where they disappeared under the blanket that were drawn up to about the middle of his stomach. Monitors were beeping in time with his heartbeat and another was tracking his breathing, and he had a tangle of wires running from him to the machines, but Jack ignored all that as he walked over and looked down at him.  
  
The face was so familiar that Jack knew immediately he'd seen it before. Even with the eyes closed, and a pained wrinkle to the brow that was a sign that the young man was distressed even in his sleep. The hair was short, and maybe a little darker than Shawn's was, now, but when Jack reached out and lightly brushed it back from the forehead, he nodded. There was the scar he'd been looking for. A thin, almost unnoticeable pale line that ran from the up under the hairline and down toward the center of the forehead. Jack remembered when Shawn got that scar quite well, and knew it for what it was.  
  
"Shawn?" Jack whispered softly. It was so unbelievable, but Jack had seen so many other things that were equally unbelievable. Sam had been right. Somehow this was his Shawn. An older version of the boy he'd seen only hours before. He ran a gentle hand down the man's cheek, feeling the square jaw that had just the beginning of a 5 o'clock shadow. Stubble! He smiled despite himself. It would be a few more years before his Shawn had to worry about shaving.  
  
"Colonel?"  
  
Jack turned and saw Fraiser had walked up beside him, even though the others were still at the door, watching.  
  
"It's him," Jack said, shaking his head.  
  
"You're that sure?" She raised an eyebrow. Jack was normally the most difficult to prove anything to. He was a cynic by nature, and when you added in the fact that he was also fairly inflexible when it came to changing his mind once it was made up, it was no surprise that Janet was a little surprised at his ready acceptance that this person was, indeed, who they thought it was.  
  
"It's him," Jack said. "I'd know him anywhere. Anytime, too, I suppose." He shook his head again. "I need to talk to him, Doc."  
  
"He's not going to wake up any time soon, Colonel," Fraiser told him. "He needs rest before we start interrogating him."  
  
"I'm not going to interrogate him," Jack said as Hammond and the rest of them walked over as well, wanting to hear what O'Neill was saying. "I need to know where he came from. When he came from."  
  
"I can't force him to wake up, Colonel," Fraiser told him. "He's exhausted. Let him rest while we try to sort out everything else."  
  
Jack scowled, but it wasn't aimed at the doctor. It was his 'I'm thinking' scowl. He turned to Thor, who was standing beside Teal'c.  
  
"You swear that you didn't do anything to Shawn? My Shawn, I mean?"  
  
"We have done nothing that can explain this, O'Neill." The Asgard told him.  
  
"Someone has to know."  
  
"The tests could be wrong," Fraiser said.  
  
"They are not." Thor replied.  
  
"They could be."  
  
"Why don't you take Doctor Fraiser and let her run her own tests, Thor?" Hammond said. "I'll want a full report as soon as possible, Doctor."  
  
Fraiser barely had time to nod before there was a flash of light and Thor and Fraiser both vanished from the infirmary. Hammond turned to Jack.  
  
"You're sure it's him?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"I wonder how old he is," Daniel said from the other side of the bed.  
  
"Early twenties?" Carter speculated.  
  
"Doesn't look much like an alien." Jack said.  
  
"Neither does Teal'c, really," Sam said, gesturing to the big Jaffa who was looking down at the young man on the bed as well. Teal'c looked up, and Carter shrugged. "We hide his biggest differences fairly easily, after all."  
  
"I'm pretty sure Janet would have noticed a pouch, Sam." Daniel said.  
  
"I wonder what Dotty and James know about this," Carter said, ignoring Daniel's sarcasm. She was good at ignoring sarcasm. After all, she dealt with Jack all the time.  
  
"About him traveling through time?" Jack asked.  
  
"About the whole alien thing," Sam clarified.  
  
"We don't know for sure he's an alien. It could have been a mix up in Thor's lab."  
  
"I doubt that, Sir," Sam said, shaking her head. "The Asgard are probably pretty good at not making dumb little mistakes like that."  
  
"They've made their fair share of dumb-"  
  
"Enough." Hammond said. He was getting a headache just listening to all this. "Let's leave him to his rest, and go wait in the briefing room for Doctor Fraiser's report. I'm sure it won't take too long. We'll decide from there what we should do next." 


	8. 08

They ended up waiting a bit longer this time. Hammond went back into his office, knowing that he'd be able to hear and see when Fraiser returned with her results. He had some paper work to do, and he might as well get it done.  
  
Jack had paperwork, too, but he wasn't in any hurry to do his. Instead he sat and watched as Daniel once more pulled out the arrowhead necklace they'd taken from the older version of Shawn, and tried to figure out where it'd come from.  
  
"Maybe it's from some obscure tribe in the middle of nowhere?" Jack suggested. He was actually finding it entertaining to watch Daniel be so frustrated about something so minor.  
  
"No, it's not from some obscure tribe in the middle of nowhere, Jack," Daniel said, grumpily.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I checked them first, because of the serrated edges."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"Perhaps it is an extremely obscure tribe that has yet to be discovered." Teal'c suggested.  
  
Daniel gave him an odd look, like he was trying to figure out if Teal'c was joking or being serious. Which was sometimes hard to tell. Well, lots of times it was hard to tell.  
  
"I suppose you could always just ask him," Sam said. "Wait until he wakes up and ask."  
  
"That's not the point, Sam," Daniel said, surprised that he even had to explain it to her. She was a scientist, too, after all. "It's annoying because I can't figure it out on my own."  
  
"I guess you're SOL, then," Jack said, leaning back in his chair and smiling. Teal'c looked over at O'Neill, unsure what an SOL was, but Sam grinned as well, even though she understood what he was talking about.  
  
"What does SOL mean, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. He hadn't heard the phrase before.  
  
"Shi-"  
  
There was a flash of white light, and Jack and the others looked over just in time to see Fraiser reappear. Without Thor.  
  
Hammond had seen the light as well, and was out of his office in only moments.  
  
"Where's Thor?" He asked, before the others could.  
  
"He'll be along shortly, Sir," Fraiser said. She was carrying a few papers in her hand that she hadn't had when she'd left. Obviously her own results.  
  
"What did you find out?" jack asked, looking at the papers pointedly.  
  
The look she gave him was slightly troubled, and her hand tightened almost imperceptibly on her notes.  
  
"I need to go double check something in the infirmary, first, Colonel. Then I'll be prepared to give a full report on my findings."  
  
Carter and Daniel both knew Fraiser better than Jack did – since Jack didn't spend much time with Fraiser outside her infirmary - so they both recognized the look. Jack didn't quite catch it, since his attention was more on the papers she had.  
  
"Is he an alien or not?" Jack asked, stubbornly. It wasn't that complicated a question.  
  
"I'll be right back."  
  
She turned on her hell and walked out of the room before he could ask her anything else, and Jack watched her retreating back with a scowl.  
  
"What was that all about?"  
  
"Beats me."  
  
They resumed their seats, and Hammond joined them, figuring that there was no sense trying to get any work done if she was going to be right back.  
  
She only kept them waiting about 15 minutes before she walked back in, and all eyes were on her as she sat down across from Jack and set the papers down on the table in front of her.  
  
"In answer to the original question; yes, he's part alien. Not entirely alien, because he is a hybrid. Half human, half... something. We're not sure what, yet."  
  
"How can that be, Doctor?" Hammond asked. "Colonel O'Neill is right; we didn't find this boy on another planet. He's from here."  
  
"You're sure he's part human?" Sam asked. "Not all alien?"  
  
"We're sure," Fraiser said. He does have human DNA. Roughly half of his genetic make up is human. The Asgard are still trying to figure out what the other half is."  
  
"Which makes you wonder if Dotty or James are Shawn's actual parents," Daniel said, softly, looking over to see how Jack was taking the news.  
  
O'Neill had figured the Asgard were right, although he'd tried very hard to convince himself otherwise, telling himself that just because they were more advanced, didn't mean they couldn't make a mistake. So, deep down, he supposed he'd been ready for the news. The fact that Fraiser had confirmed it just made it impossible for him to pretend anymore. The problem was; Shawn didn't look alien to Jack. He just looked like a little boy. Or a young man, depending on which version of Shawn you were looking at at the moment. Jack was feeling a headache coming.  
  
"We know for a fact that James Adams is not the boy's father." Fraiser said.  
  
Jack looked up, wondering how they knew that without having a blood sample from the man. Just because James didn't look a lot like Shawn, that didn't mean anything.  
  
"How do you know that?" Daniel asked. "Wouldn't you need a blood sample from him to compare to Shawn's?"  
  
She nodded, looking slightly pale. "Ordinarily we would."  
  
"But?"  
  
Jack rubbed his head, wondering how he was going to get a DNA sample from Dotty to see if she was Shawn's mother or not.  
  
"But we already have the DNA of the father."  
  
"How did you get James' DNA?" Carter asked, confused.  
  
"He's not the father, Sam. I already told you that." She hesitated, and then decided that there was no cushioning the words that were coming next. "Shawn's father is Colonel O'Neill." 


	9. 09

"Excuse me?"  
  
Jack's dumb look would have been comical, if not for the fact that everyone else was wearing the same expression.  
  
"You're his father." She repeated, handing over the papers. Jack ignored them.  
  
"Um... I don't know if you paid attention in Health class, Doc, but I did. I know where babies come from, and I know-"  
  
"Colonel, you're his father. I checked it more than once."  
  
"Is this some kind of joke?" Jack asked, scowling. "Did Thor put-"  
  
"I didn't tell the Asgard. With something like this, I thought it'd be better to tell you, first."  
  
Everyone in the room was staring at Jack. None of them seemed to know what to say. He scowled at them, en mass.  
  
"I'm not his father, guys! I know where I was 12 years ago, and it wasn't with Dotty Adams!"  
  
"Your positive of your results, Doctor?" Hammond asked, breaking in.  
  
"Yes, Sir. The match is 99.7 percent. Which is as good as I can get on my equipment."  
  
"There ya go!" Jack said. "It's that .3 percent error. It's gotta be, because as much as I like Shawn – and I do – I can't be his father. I only met him a couple years ago. And his mom."  
  
"Maybe Dotty isn't Shawn's mother," Daniel said, still looking at Jack speculatively.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, think about it. If Shawn's half human and half... something else, and you're the human half, is Dotty James a 'something else'? Or is she just a foster parent?"  
  
"Perhaps we should go find out," Teal'c said.  
  
"Oh, that'd be an interesting conversation," Jack grumbled. "Hi, Dotty. Is Shawn home? No? Well... um... are you an alien? Or just a surrogate for one?"  
  
"It poses an interesting question," Sam said, reaching for the papers that Jack had ignored and looking at them.  
  
"How would we find out?" Hammond asked. "Colonel O'Neill is right; we can't just ask."  
  
"This is ridiculous," Jack said, throwing up his hands in frustration. "You guys aren't listening to me. I. Am. Not. His. Father."  
  
"According to this, you are," Sam said, holding up the papers.  
  
"It's wrong." Jack couldn't believe he was even having this conversation.  
  
"No-"  
  
"There is another concern that should be dealt with," Teal'c said, breaking in on the argument before it could begin.  
  
Everyone looked at him.  
  
"What's that, Teal'c?"  
  
"If Shawn Adams' parentage has been kept a secret for his entire life, what happens when those who having been keeping the secret find out it is common knowledge?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's right, Sir," Sam said, suddenly worried. "Someone has to know that Shawn's part alien. If they'd wanted us to know, they would have told us already, which means that they might not be happy when they find out we know. Which means-"  
  
"They might do something to conceal the evidence." Teal said.  
  
"Or destroy it completely." Jack agreed, standing up and looking at his watch. Shawn was still in school, although not for much longer. Jack wondered if he could get there before the final bell rang. Better yet, he'd call the school and tell them to hold Shawn in the office or something until he showed up to get him.  
  
"Call the school, Colonel," Hammond said, pointing the open door to his office, which held the closest phone. "Tell them we'll be sending someone to pick up the boy, and to keep him there until they arrive."  
  
Jack went into the office, pulled a phone number out of his wallet and dialed. The others watched from their spots at the table as he conversed with someone on the phone for a few moments, and then he hung up. He walked out of the room, looking worried and a little pale himself.  
  
"Shawn's not at school. Apparently his mother came by and picked him up about an hour ago. She told the attendance office he wouldn't be in school tomorrow, either."  
  
"They're sure it was his mother?" Sam asked, standing up as well.  
  
"They wouldn't have let him go with someone unless they were sure. And Shawn never would have went with a stranger."  
  
"We have to find him," Daniel said.  
  
"I'm going to go to his house and see if they're there. Or if James is."  
  
"I'll come with you," Sam told him.  
  
Teal'c and Daniel stood as well, but Jack paused, looking at them, troubled.  
  
"We have more than one Shawn, here, now. What are the odds that they know that?"  
  
"No one knows it."  
  
"Thor knows it. As do any other Asgard who might be around. If there was a communication between ships, there is a chance that if another alien entity was listening in, they too, could know."  
  
"Teal'c, I need you to stay here," Jack said. "Shawn – the Shawn in the infirmary – might be in as much danger as the other Shawn, and you're the one who would be able to recognize any alien that might be coming after him." What Jack didn't say – and didn't have to say – was that Teal'c was also more than capable of dealing with anything that might pose a threat to the young man.  
  
"I will stay, O'Neill." Teal'c told him, formally. "No harm will come to your son while I breathe."  
  
That caused Jack to hesitate, but he didn't have time to think of such things just then. His son. It was too unbelievable to be true. He nodded.  
  
"I'll stay, too, Jack,"  
  
O'Neill nodded, and left, with Carter right behind him, concern making them move quickly and without the normal banter that they usually enjoyed. 


	10. 10

Author's Note: Yes, somewhere in my author's notes (maybe in more than one place) I said I wasn't going to make Shawn related to Jack... come on, I couldn't just blurt it out and ruin that great surprise, could I? It was much more fun this way! Thanks for the reviews guys, I hope this story keeps your interest  
  
~*~  
  
Daniel pulled up a chair next to the bed that the injured young man was sleeping in. He didn't HAVE to sit next to him to keep an eye on him – Teal'c wasn't, after all – but Daniel was intrigued by this person, and he wanted to have a chance to talk to him if he woke up. And not just to ask him about the origins of the arrowhead that was still driving Daniel nuts.  
  
He sat down, the chair putting him about on the same level as the bed, and looked over at the sleeper. Jack's son? Daniel shook his head. He could remember more than once that he'd notice Shawn was acting a bit like Jack, mostly in mannerism, though, which was learned as well as inherited. Daniel had simply assumed the boy was spending too much time with Jack. Especially since they'd noticed a stubborn streak in him that was just as wide as O'Neill's. Now that he looked at him, though, Daniel thought there might be a few similarities that he hadn't noticed before.  
  
He had the same pained look on his face just then that Jack normally sported when he was troubled or worried, or hurt. The same crease right above his nose, and the same jaw line, which was normally set firm when Jack was being stubborn, and probably would look the same if this young man were in the same position.  
  
The door opened and Teal'c walked in, with his own version of a back up security system. Jack walked up to Daniel and stuck his nose cheerfully into the Archeologist's hand, his tail wagging a pleased hello. Daniel smiled, and rubbed the black lab's face, scratching his ears. Jaffer walked over and joined his brother for a moment, getting his own share of the attention, but a low command from Teal'c caused both dogs to raise their heads and look back at him.  
  
"Using them as guard dogs?" Daniel asked as the two very large labs ambled back over to Teal'c, where he reached down and unsnapped their leashes. They didn't need to be held close by. They would stay where they were told.  
  
"They know who belongs and will warn us if someone should come we do not know."  
  
That much was true. The two dogs had grown up in Cheyenne Mountain and knew everyone there. From Hammond down to the lowest ranks of Military and Civilian, the dogs were plenty familiar with them all. And would know if a stranger walked down the hall. They were both intelligent animals and had been thoroughly trained in the details of guard dogging, but more importantly, they knew if someone was acting oddly, and would make sure Teal's and Daniel were warned, as well.  
  
"Are you going to leave them in the infirmary? Or in the corridor?"  
  
"Doctor Fraiser asks that I do not allow them to be underfoot, so I shall keep them in the hall. But they will alert us if anyone comes in that does not belong."  
  
"Makes sense."  
  
"Of course it does."  
  
Teal'c closed the door behind him and the dogs, and took up a position right by the door, with one large dog on either side of him, and his staff weapon leaning against a wall where he'd be able to easily get to it. No one told him that he was being paranoid, even if some thought he might be going overboard with this guard duty. Mainly because no one dared tell Teal'c anything of the sort. They were content to allow him to do whatever he wanted. Which was how Teal'c preferred it. Besides, he'd given Jack his oath to protect his son, and he would.  
  
~*~  
  
The Adams' owned two cars and a small motorboat. One of the cars was a brand new Ford sedan – which was the car Dotty normally drove – and the other was a Jeep Cherokee, which was the vehicle James most often drove. The Jeep and the boat were both gone when Jack pulled his truck up into the driveway about 40 minutes after he and Sam had left the SGC. But the Ford was sitting in its usual spot, and Jack wondered if that meant Dotty was home.  
  
He got out of the truck, his hand resting lightly on the butt of his Beretta, which was in a belt holster under Jack's light jacket. Looking around, it didn't appear that anything was wrong, but Jack was naturally wary anyways, and even more so when he had good reason to think something might be going wrong.  
  
"Looks clear, Sir." Sam said, her own hand also resting on the butt of her gun, which was hidden in a similar location as Jack's.  
  
"Yeah, it does," Jack agreed. Everything looked peaceful and calm. Just like it normally did. "Do you think they want us to think it's clear? Or do you think it really is?"  
  
"One way to find out." Carter said, gesturing to the door.  
  
They walked up to the door and Jack knocked lightly, ignoring the doorbell. It opened almost instantly, as if someone had been waiting for them.  
  
"Jack. Sam. Hello." It was Dotty. She wasn't really smiling although she was definitely trying to be pleasant. If anything her face was a mirror of Sam and O'Neill's. Worried and wary.  
  
"Hi, Dotty," Jack said, looking at her closely. She looked pretty damned human to him. No tentacles, or scales, or anything. "Is... um, Shawn or James here?"  
  
"No, Jack. They were planning a fishing trip this weekend, and I sent them up a day early."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
There was far more than one question in that simple word, and Dotty, nodded. She looked at Carter, then back at Jack.  
  
"I thought you'd come by, Jack, once the school called me and asked for permission to allow the Air Force to take a blood sample from Shawn." Her eyes turned from wary to amused for a moment, and she shook her head. "The Air Force Academy taking blood samples from an eleven year old? That was the best cover story you could think of?"  
  
Sam blushed slightly, since it had been her cover story.  
  
"Well, you know... Say no to drugs and all that." Jack told Dotty.  
  
"Well, I thought once you had a blood sample that you'd probably come looking for answers, and I didn't want James or Shawn around, so I pulled Shawn from school early and convinced James that they should go early to avoid any weekend crowds as long as possible."  
  
"Then you know what we found?" Jack asked, his hand touching the butt of his gun again, just in case things started getting ugly.  
  
"I knew you'd find out, eventually. I just didn't expect it to be so soon." She looked at Carter again, then at Jack, as if noticing for the first time that they were probably worried she was going to attack them or something.  
  
"Listen, why don't you two come in, and we'll talk?"  
  
"That sounds like a fine idea."  
  
Dotty held the door open, and Jack and Sam walked in, both alert for any ambushes from behind the door, or from Dotty herself, but none came.  
  
"You must have a million questions," Dotty said, as she led them over to the living room and gestured for them to sit down.  
  
"Oh, a few more than that," Jack said. He looked around the room, but didn't see any place where someone might be hiding or anything out of place. He motioned Carter to sit down, then waited for Dotty to take a seat before he did the same. 


	11. 11

"So?" Dotty asked slightly nervously. Jack realized there was always a chance that she was under a mistaken impression of why they were there. Maybe she just thought that Jack knew that James wasn't Shawn's father and wanted to know about it? That would explain why she would have sent James and Shawn both away. "Where would you like to start?"  
  
"Shawn."  
  
"I figured that much out on my own, Jack," Dotty said with a tight smile. "What do you want to know?"  
  
"Who is he?" Carter asked.  
  
"He's Shawn Adams, Sam." She said. "Just a little boy, who has no idea of the potential he holds." She looked at Jack. "And I intend for it to stay that way. Before we go much further, I'll ask for your word that what we discuss is between us, and whatever authority you report to, but no one else. Including Shawn and the Asgard."  
  
Jack's eyes widened slightly. So much for thinking she didn't know what was going on. If she knew about the Asgard, then there was more to her than just a mother who was worried about who was finding out that her husband wasn't the true blood relation to her son that everyone thought he was.  
  
"The Asgard are our allies," Sam said. "We have-"  
  
"Done." Jack interrupted. "I won't tell the Asgard anything, and I'll make sure no one else does, either." He looked at Sam, who hesitated, then nodded her agreement.  
  
"And Shawn?" Dotty pressed.  
  
"Not a word." Jack wouldn't have, anyways.  
  
"I'm going to tell him, myself," Dotty said, softly. "But he's not old enough yet. He's a little boy and I want him to have a childhood. A regular childhood, with a father and a mother, and camping trips, fishing trips, and all the things that human children do when they're young."  
  
Since Jack agreed with that completely, there was nothing he could say. How many times had he said just that to the people around him? How many times had he pissed them off? More than he cared to think about.  
  
"What is he?" Carter asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.  
  
"He's the answer to a very serious problem." Dotty told them.  
  
"Then he's a tool?" Jack asked, feeling the beginnings of anger starting to burn inside him. She wasn't sounding any different from everyone else who wanted to use the boy.  
  
"Everyone is a tool, Jack," Dotty replied. "Humans have children because they want to pass on their genes to the next generation. Wouldn't that make them tools?"  
  
"That's not the same thing."  
  
"In this case it is." She started to say something else, but then paused, as if gathering her thoughts before continuing. "What do you know of the Ancients?"  
  
Jack's eyebrows went up again, but he answered the question. It wasn't like the answer was going to be all that long, anyways.  
  
"They're a race of aliens that were allies with the Asgard way back when." He thought through what else he knew, and continued. "They made a machine of some sort that I had a bit of a run in with a while back and I ended up talking crazy until the Asgard got the knowledge out of my head. From what I understand, they're gone now. Moved on to bigger and better things, I suppose."  
  
"What if not all of them moved on?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"The Ancients, Jack." Dotty said. "What if they're not all gone?"  
  
"Well... then... I suppose that would mean the Asgard were wrong when they said they were gone..." Jack replied warily, wondering what that was supposed to mean.  
  
"Have they all moved on?" Sam asked.  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"What does this have to do with anything?" Jack asked. Hypotheticals were so annoying to him.  
  
"Let me tell you a story," Dotty said. "Can I get either of you anything to drink?"  
  
They both shook their heads, silently, far too interested in the conversation than they were in refreshments.  
  
"When the Asgard first met the Ancients, they weren't much more advanced than you and your people are, Jack. Oh, they had space travel and more advanced technology, but they weren't the serious thinkers they are now. They weren't as learned, and were no where near as mature as they've become."  
  
"How long ago was that?" Carter asked.  
  
"The numbers wouldn't mean anything to you, Sam," Dotty told her. "A very long time, that's all." She waited to see if Carter was going to argue, and when there was no response, she continued.  
  
"The Asgard had so much potential when they first met the Ancients. They were curious, and intelligent, and better yet, they had a clear definition of what is right and what is wrong. They had much in common with the Ancients. But they also had their obsessions."  
  
"Obsessions?" Jack asked.  
  
"They wanted to live forever," Dotty said, nodding. "Or at least longer than their normal lifespan."  
  
"Well, who doesn't?" Jack asked, innocently.  
  
Dotty smiled, but turned serious again almost immediately. "The Asgard were advanced, yes. But they weren't above making mistakes, and in their quest for longevity they made a serious one. One with far reaching consequences, although they didn't realize it at the time. Or perhaps they thought they'd be able to deal with it by the time it became a true problem. I'm not sure."  
  
"What mistake was that?" Jack asked, curious despite himself.  
  
"What consequences?" Sam asked, almost at the same time.  
  
"If the Asgard have not discussed their problems with you – their allies – then it is not my place to tell you. When the time comes, they will, I'm sure."  
  
"I wouldn't bet on it," Jack said.  
  
"Nonetheless, I can't tell you."  
  
"Can't? Or won't?"  
  
"Won't."  
  
Jack nodded. Fair enough. He was curious, but not enough to allow himself to be sidetracked.  
  
"We were discussing Shawn." He reminded her.  
  
"Yes, but it's all related, Jack. Things often are." It was almost a rebuke, but not quite. She gathered her thoughts once more, and continued. "The Ancients saw the mistake for what it was, and tried to warn the Asgard, but they didn't listen. They were too proud to believe they could make a mistake. The Ancients couldn't make them see what was happening, and since they had no intention of forcing the Asgard – or any of their allies to do anything they didn't want to, there was little the Ancients could do about it directly."  
  
Sam and Jack both caught the qualifier.  
  
"Directly?" Jack asked.  
  
"What about indirectly?" Sam asked at the same time.  
  
"The Ancients decided to lay the foundation of a solution to the Asgard problem. A solution that might or might not be needed, depending on the Asgard themselves." She looked at Jack. "That's where you came in." 


	12. 12

"Jack..." The voice was soft, hardly more than a whisper, but in the silence of the infirmary Daniel heard it quite plainly. He looked up from the necklace he'd been studying – more like obsessing over - and over at the form sleeping on the bed. Only to find that he'd woken up.  
  
Daniel stood up and stepped a bit closer, looking down at the young man, who was looking around with a slightly glazed look in his brown eyes.  
  
"Hey, I see you've finally decided to rejoin us..." He said, softly, and slowly. He'd had that confused glazed look before, and knew that this version of Shawn wasn't going to be ready for anything too complicated just then.  
  
The brown eyes looked back at Daniel, and he could tell they were trying to focus a little more.  
  
"Daniel?"  
  
"Yeah." He couldn't help himself. Daniel reached out and touched the man's cheek. "Shawn?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing... how do you feel?"  
  
"Awful. What happened?"  
  
"We're not... exactly sure. What do you remember?"  
  
Shawn looked around and shook his head, then winced. And he looked exactly like Jack in that motion. There was no mistake, Daniel might have had his doubts, but there hadn't been many before, and there were none, now.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
He saw the necklace in Daniel's hand.  
  
"Where'd you get that?"  
  
"We took it off you, with your dog tags." Daniel couldn't help himself, even though he knew it was hardly the time to ask. "Where did you get it?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The necklace, Shawn," Daniel said, still being careful not to speak too quickly. "Where did you get it?"  
  
"Jacob gave it to me."  
  
"Jacob Carter?" Then it HAD come from off-world. Sam was right, again.  
  
"Jacob O'Neill, Daniel." Shawn corrected, absently. He was still having trouble focusing, and Daniel could tell he was losing his battle with his exhaustion once more. "He made it for me... at camp..." The eyes closed. "You were... there..."  
  
Daniel didn't press. He looked down at the necklace once more, and realized it was far more precious than anyone would ever know. He sat back down, continuing his vigil, a slight smile on his face that was out of place in the seriousness of the infirmary.  
  
~*~  
  
"When is where I came in?" Jack asked, confused. "You're talking about something that was way before I was born."  
  
"Yes, I know." Dotty reached out and put her hand gently on Jack's. "I'm not trying to make this complicated, Jack, but it is a little, so bear with me, okay?"  
  
He nodded, and Dotty leaned back in her chair, gathering her thoughts once more.  
  
"So the Ancients saw a problem coming with the Asgard, and set out to make a way to help them fix it, in case they couldn't do it themselves. They knew what would be needed, and set up a way to find it. On a few chosen planets in various star systems, they set up certain devices. These devices were designed to study anyone who tried to use it, but would only react to certain people. Human stock, and healthy, and intelligent. They would grasp the person, and implant knowledge into their brains, then-"  
  
"The device on P3R-272," Sam said. "The repository of knowledge."  
  
Jack looked over at her, and then back at Dotty, who nodded.  
  
"The Ancients were looking for a person who was able to access the memories and information. This person would be crucial in their plans to help the Asgard."  
  
"That damned thing almost killed me," Jack said, scowling. "If the Asgard-"  
  
"It did many things, Jack," Dotty interrupted. "It made you aware of the Ancients in a way you'd never been aware before, and it served as a way to introduce you to the Asgard."  
  
"We'd already met the Asgard."  
  
"The Ancients couldn't be sure of that, though. There had to be a meeting between the Asgard and the person who triggered the device, because they had to become potential allies. So the knowledge of the coordinates for one of the Asgard home worlds – Othala – was included in the information."  
  
"Well it worked. Whatever it was they were trying to accomplish. We're allies."  
  
"That wasn't all they were trying to accomplish, it was just a start. Another thing the device did besides transfer knowledge into the person who triggered it was to take that person's memories and thoughts, and to gather a sample of that person's DNA."  
  
"This only happened a couple years ago, Dotty," Jack told her; pretty sure he knew what she was going to say next. "Shawn-"  
  
"Bear with me, Jack."  
  
He sighed, but nodded, and looked over at Sam, who was listening intently. Good. Maybe she'd explain it to him later.  
  
"Sorry. Go ahead."  
  
"The device served its purpose. It had given you the knowledge of the Ancients, and had shown you how to contact the Asgard. And it had taken your DNA and had learned what kind of man you were. Tested the potential of your species."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And found you were almost perfect for the next step."  
  
"Just 'almost'?" Jack asked.  
  
"You're a fairly stubborn and quick tempered man, Jack," Dotty told him, smiling slightly. "But you're also a good man, and you have a strong sense of right and wrong, and you're loyal to those you call friend. These traits are very desirable."  
  
"So I'm almost the perfect breeding stock?" Jack asked, sarcastically.  
  
"Almost," Dotty agreed, ignoring the sarcasm. "Far back in time, while the Ancients and the Asgard were still working side by side and learning from each other, there were a few couplings of the two species that resulted in hybrids of the two. Asgard and Ancient in one. These were very rare, but they did happen."  
  
"The Ancients and the Asgard?" Sam asked, surprised.  
  
Dotty looked at her, and the older woman seemed surprised by Sam's astonishment. "Have you not found any of your other allies tempting? Interesting? Possibly appealing?"  
  
Sam looked at Jack, but he held up his hands.  
  
"Don't look at me, Sam. Teal'c's good looking and all, but I'm not his type." 


	13. 13

"Yes," Sam said, almost reluctantly. "I'd have to say I've found more than one of the non human allies to be... interesting." She was blushing slightly, but Dotty only nodded.  
  
"Then you can understand how it could happen. And it did. But only a few times. Such interbreeding – as it were – isn't all that common." She pointed to herself. "I'm the result of one of those couples. Not directly, of course, but one of my ancestors."  
  
"So you're Asgard and Ancient?" Sam asked, completely fascinated, now.  
  
"I'm far more Ancient than Asgard, Sam," Dotty said. "Because my ancestor stayed with the Ancients and not with the Asgard and the resulting progeny were all from full Ancient bloodlines."  
  
"Except that there is some Asgard DNA in you, because of the initial pairing." Sam said.  
  
"Exactly." Dotty looked at Jack. "And Shawn carries that same blood, because he is my son. Mixed liberally with Human DNA."  
  
"Which they got from me through that device." Jack said, unsure whether to be angry because they used him, or smug because he was the one they'd chosen. He opted for neither, but he did scowl.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But Jack's right, Dotty," Sam said, confused. "That was only a couple years ago. Shawn's eleven. It doesn't add up."  
  
"There's more to the story, Sam." Dotty said. "I was just giving you the background so you'd understand what had happened. Otherwise the rest won't make sense."  
  
"None of this makes sense," Jack complained.  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack." Dotty said, looking like she truly was. "I didn't plan on having this conversation for at least another couple years, maybe even longer."  
  
"So, how old is Shawn?" Sam asked.  
  
"He's eleven."  
  
"How is that-"  
  
"The Ancients have studied time travel, Jack," Dotty said, interrupting. "More than once, and most of the times the studies have failed. There are some common ways of producing a time travel affect – extreme gravity being the most popular – but it's very difficult to get an exact time when you're trying to go backwards. Mainly because gravity doesn't always react exactly the way it's supposed to, even in a controlled environment. What we-"  
  
"Never mind," Jack held up a hand, shaking his head. "I don't want the details. I don't understand them, anyways. You can explain it all to Sam another time." He rubbed his forehead, wondering if he should ask for an aspirin. "How is Shawn eleven when you've only had my DNA for a couple years?"  
  
"I was sent back in time to have him so he'd be old enough to attend the camp we found out you were being sent to." She looked at Jack and Sam both. "SG-1 is rarely outside Cheyenne Mountain like you were for that week, and we recognized it as a perfect opportunity to introduce Shawn to you. The hard part was making sure we didn't go too far back, and keep him from being too old."  
  
"Why would he need to meet Jack?" Sam asked. "You already had everything you needed from him, didn't you?"  
  
"Not at all. We wanted Shawn to get a military background early – the United States Military, since they were the ones controlling the Stargate, and Jack was the perfect way to do that. Once Shawn met Jack, we knew he'd be drawn to him – blood calls to blood, after all – and Shawn would be more interested in the military, and the Air Force in particular, and since Shawn is a good kid, we knew that Jack would do whatever he could to help him. We assumed he'd grow up with a slight influence from Jack, eventually join the Air Force, and from there go into the SGC, where he'd eventually meet the Asgard. By then we would be ready to tell him what he was, and see if he was the final key to fixing the Asgard problem, or if more was needed."  
  
"So what happened to change that? Sam asked.  
  
"Shawn met the Asgard way earlier than they intended," Jack said, answering the question before Dotty could.  
  
She nodded. "We didn't expect that, and were unprepared. At first, we were ready to pull him out and start with him elsewhere, hopefully waiting for him to grow up, maybe changing his name, so everyone would forget about him. Then we saw that the Asgard had taken an interest in him as well, and were already starting to teach him what we hadn't planned for him to know for many years."  
  
She looked at Jack. "I assumed that you were all for it, and didn't know they were doing it behind your back until after the Asgard lost him."  
  
"You know about that?" Jack asked, surprised.  
  
She nodded. "I was a wreck, and couldn't tell James why. Not without telling him far more than I wanted to."  
  
"Why didn't you help us find him?" Jack asked. "You must have all sorts of technolo-"  
  
"We didn't know where he was, Jack. The Ancients don't know everything, and they're no more gods than the Goa'uld are. I was so afraid he was lost to me."  
  
Jack could see that it had upset her, and still upset her. He understood completely how she felt, because every time he allowed himself to think back to that weekend, he couldn't help but be angry at how much a foolish Asgard error could have cost him. More than he'd known, as it turned out.  
  
"I came to Cheyenne Mountain that weekend," Dotty said, continuing. "On the pretense of bringing him his jacket and homework, remember? I was going to tell you everything, then." She shook her head. "But you came to the guard shack with Daniel, and you looked so upset, and tired, and you were trying so hard to act like nothing was wrong. I couldn't tell you. I couldn't do that to you. It was bad enough you were so fond of him. To learn what he really was..." She trailed off, shaking her head.  
  
"That won't ever happen again," Jack told her.  
  
"I know. Because you've got complete control over what's happening to Shawn. Which is more than we – I – could ever have asked for. You can keep him safe until he's old enough to keep himself out of danger."  
  
"What are you going to do to him?" Jack asked. "I mean, you've pretty much built him. What for?"  
  
"I'm not going to do anything to him, Jack. I'm going to let him grow up from a normal little boy into a mature man. His own man. I don't believe in controlling people any more than you do. What he does will be up to him. When he's old enough to decide, I'll tell him what he is, and what the Asgard problem is, and allow him the choice of helping to fix it or not. Of course, knowing the boy he is, I am fairly certain what kind of man he will be, and I'm sure he'll choose to help."  
  
"I didn't get to choose," Jack said, somewhat petulantly.  
  
Dotty shook her head. "I know. I didn't have much choice in the matter, either. But it was necessary, and still is necessary, and I won't tell you I'm sorry it happened, because I'm not. Shawn is a wonderful little boy, who means everything to me, and without that part of you in him, he wouldn't be the same person that I love today." She smiled, gently. "He's a lot like you."  
  
"So everyone keeps telling me."  
  
Jack wasn't sure of what to make of the story he'd just been told. He had no doubt it was all true. Why would Dotty make something like that up? He also had no doubt that Dotty cared for Shawn just as much as he did. That sort of thing was hard to fake. He rubbed his head again.  
  
"So did you send the grown up Shawn back through time in the Stargate?" Sam asked during the silence.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The Shawn that's lying in our infirmary," Sam said. "Did you send him?"  
  
"Sam, I don't have a clue what you're talking about. What grown up Shawn?" She looked confused enough that Jack was sure she was telling the truth. Yup, the Ancients might be more advanced, but they weren't all knowing.  
  
"This morning, a badly injured Shawn came through our Stargate. Apparently from the future, since he's in his early twenties as near as we can tell."  
  
"I don't have contact with the people of the future, Sam." Dotty said, looking concerned. "I couldn't tell you who sent him – if anyone. Is he all right?"  
  
"The Asgard used some kind of healing doohickey on him," Jack told her, reaching out and touching her hand, reassuringly. "It didn't work completely, but it did work. He was sleeping when we left. And he's being guarded, just in case."  
  
"Are you sure it's him?"  
  
"Why do you think we needed the blood sample in the first place?" Jack asked.  
  
"Oh. Yes, I didn't think of that." She flushed. "I assumed you noticed that Shawn looked like you, and finally decided to see why."  
  
"I didn't notice at all," Jack admitted.  
  
"It's obvious, now," Sam said, smiling. "Especially when he's being stubborn."  
  
Dotty smiled as well, and again Jack could see the proud mother who loved her son. True, Shawn was an experiment of some sort, but he wasn't being used. Dotty cared about him.  
  
"Well, if you didn't send him, then I'm going to have to ask him who did." Jack said, standing up.  
  
Dotty and Sam stood as well.  
  
"What about this, Jack?" Dotty asked. "What are you going to tell Shawn?"  
  
He looked at her in surprise. "Nothing, Dotty. I gave you my word. I'm still a bit numb, I suppose, but that doesn't change anything. Does James know?"  
  
"He knows Shawn isn't his," she said, looking relieved. "Shawn was a baby when I met and married James."  
  
"Then he won't hear anything other than that from me," Jack promised. "They're up fishing?"  
  
"Yes, at Bear Lake." She suddenly had a slightly worried look in her expression. "Do you think they're in danger?"  
  
Jack shook his head. "I don't know. I was concerned about whoever was keeping the secret getting worried that it was out and doing something about it, but since that was you, I don't have to worry about that, now. Don't worry, Dotty. I won't let anything happen to him."  
  
"I know, Jack." 


	14. 14

Jack didn't say much of anything on the way back to the SGC. He'd handed Sam his keys as they'd left the Adams' house, telling her that she'd better drive. Which meant that he knew he was too distracted to be behind the wheel. She didn't argue with him, and as the silence between them grew deep, she didn't press him to start a conversation. She knew when he was ready to discuss it with her – once he'd thought it out himself – he would.  
  
She looked over at him more than once, usually just when she had to look his way anyways, like to check for oncoming traffic. His position didn't change. He was leaning slightly against the passenger door, the side of his head pressed against the glass as he stared forward out the front window. She was pretty sure he wasn't actually looking at anything, though, since his expression was about as distant as she'd ever seen it. He was thinking, she knew, and she could understand. He'd had quite a day, and there was plenty for him to think about.  
  
Sam reached her free hand out and placed it gently on his thigh. She didn't look at him, or say anything, and when he looked over to see if it was a way of getting his attention, he saw that she didn't want anything from him. She was just giving him what little support she thought she could. Jack rested his own hand over hers, acknowledging the touch silently, and resumed his brooding.  
  
~*~  
  
The door to the infirmary opened and Fraiser walked in. Daniel looked up from the necklace he'd been looking at and smiled when he saw who it was.  
  
"Are you still trying to figure that thing out?" Janet asked him, shaking her head.  
  
"Nah. Just looking at it." He gestured over to the sleeping man. "He woke up. Well, kinda. I don't think he was very aware of what was going on around him, or where he was. And he wasn't awake long."  
  
"Did he say anything?"  
  
"He asked what happened. He knew me, Janet. Recognized me and asked for Jack. It is Shawn."  
  
"I told you it-"  
  
"I know. But being told and believing are two different things." Daniel grinned and held up the necklace, looking around to make sure no one else was around. "I asked him where he got this."  
  
"You pestered him?"  
  
"No, no. It wasn't like that. He asked me where I got it, first, and I... well... yeah, I pestered him. A little."  
  
"So? Did he tell you?"  
  
"He told me Jacob gave it to him."  
  
"Jacob Carter? Sam's dad?"  
  
"That's what I asked." Daniel smiled. "Know what he said? He said he got it from Jacob O'Neill. And that I'd been there."  
  
"I don't know any Jacob O'Neill, Daniel." Fraiser said, her brow furrowed as she tried to remember if Colonel O'Neill had a male relative she'd forgotten about.  
  
"He's from the future, Janet," Daniel said. "Maybe there isn't a Jacob O'Neill here, but there is there?"  
  
Her eyes widened as she realized what he was getting at, and she smiled as well, looking at the necklace.  
  
"I didn't think of that. Are you going to tell the Colonel?"  
  
"Nope. I had to tell someone, though."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She thought about that for a moment. "I'm not going to say anything, either. Why ruin any potential surprises? But it is nice to think about, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They heard a whine outside the door, and Daniel and Janet crossed the room and opened it, looking at Teal'c, who was still standing there, leaning slightly against the wall with the two dogs near at hand. Jaffer whined again, looking over at Daniel when the door opened, then down the corridor, his tail wagging idly.  
  
"Why's he doing that?" Janet asked.  
  
"O'Neill must be returning."  
  
Sure enough, a moment later Jack and Sam both turned the corner, and Jaffer gave a low woof and broke ranks to thunder down the corridor at a full run towards Jack.  
  
People dodged him, mainly because that was a lot of dog coming at them and it was safer to move than try to contain him, and Jack was pulled out of his inner thoughts when he saw the large black shape coming at him. No one could brood when a lab was around. Especially when he was so happy to see you that his tail was wagging a mile a minute. He stopped and dropped to a knee, bracing himself, and Jaffer put on the brakes far too late for the slick concrete floor. As Jack had known from experience that he would. A hundred pounds of dog crashed into him, and the Colonel caught him easily, halting the momentum with careful arms that he wrapped around the big head.  
  
"Hey! There's my boy!" Jack ignored Sam's amused grin, and rubbed his dog's ears cheerfully. Then did the same for his namesake when Teal'c's yellow lab decided he needed attention, too, and broke down the hall as well, although he didn't have any trouble stopping.  
  
With Sam on one side, and Jaffer on the other, and Jack leading them all back to the door to the infirmary, Jack walked over to Teal'c, Daniel and Janet, looking towards the door.  
  
"How's he doing?"  
  
"He's resting, Colonel." Fraiser said.  
  
"Were you able to locate the whereabouts of Shawn Adams, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, reaching down despite himself, and scratching Jack's yellow ears when the lab came over to get some attention.  
  
"Yeah, he's up in the mountains fishing with his... with James."  
  
"And Dotty?" Daniel asked.  
  
"Oh, Dotty is not all that she appears to be," Jack said, taking a deep breath. "We need to talk to Hammond, and you guys might as well hear this, too, so Sam doesn't have to repeat it."  
  
"Me?" Sam asked.  
  
"I only understood about a quarter of it, Carter," Jack said. "You were paying attention, right?"  
  
"Yes. Of course."  
  
"Well, there ya go." He shrugged as if it made all the sense in the world, and headed down the hall, Jaffer ambling beside him. "Teal'c, put a couple Marines on the infirmary door, will you?" Jack called over his shoulder. "I want them armed with zats."  
  
"What's going on?" Daniel asked Sam, who watched with the others as Jack vanished around the next corner.  
  
"Oh, it's complicated, Daniel," Sam said, shaking her head. "Come on, let's go get General Hammond, and then you can all hear at the same time. I don't want to have to repeat this one any more times than I have to." 


	15. 15

It was much later. If any of them had looked at a clock, they'd have known that the sun had long since gone down and it was getting dark out. None of them were looking at the clock, though. They were all seated around the briefing table, as they had been since Jack and Sam had returned, and even though they'd been there for a good hour, listening to Carter tell them what Dotty had told her and Jack, no one had even shifted in their seats.  
  
Well, Jack had, more than once. But he'd already heard the story, and he had to admit that hearing it again was making him a little pissed at having been used in such a manner. However, he'd also had to admit that the way Carter made it sound was a lot more reasonable than the way Dotty had made it sound. The Ancients had never actually hurt Jack with their device, and taking his DNA was hardly a heinous crime against humanity. It was just that they should have asked. Of course, then he'd have said no.  
  
"Almost perfect breeding stock?" Daniel had repeated, when Sam reached that point of the story. The Archeologist looked over at Jack, with an incredulous look that would have almost been insulting, if Jack didn't know that Daniel was exaggerating his disbelief just to goad him.  
  
"Almost perfect," Jack had said, reaching down and caressing Jaffer's ears. The big black lab had settled himself next to Jack's chair in the briefing room, and had been silent enough during the briefing that Hammond hadn't told him to send him back to the kennels up on the surface.  
  
"And yet, not perfect?"  
  
"Apparently, I'm stubborn."  
  
"You?"  
  
"I know!" Jack said, smiling despite himself. Leave it to Daniel to make him banter and keep the anger at bay.  
  
"I find that hard to believe."  
  
"Quick-tempered, too," Jack added.  
  
"No!" The look of shock on Daniel's face was completely fake, but so perfect that even Teal'c had what could have been a slight smile on his face.  
  
"I know... crazy, huh?"  
  
They fell silent again as Carter continued the story, but Jack was feeling a little better by the time it was over. After all, it was done and there wasn't anyone he could take it out on. Dotty hadn't done it. Shawn certainly didn't, and as good as Jack was at taking his foul moods out on the people around him, none of them had had anything to do with it, either.  
  
"It does explain a few things," Daniel said, when Carter was finally done.  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"Why the Asgard healing device worked on Shawn when Thor didn't really expect it to. It worked on the Asgard in him."  
  
"As it did when Shawn broke his ankle last year." Teal'c added.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What do we do about it, Colonel?" Hammond asked.  
  
"Nothing we can do, Sir. Shawn's not –"  
  
A low growl interrupted him, and Jack heard an echoing growl from Jack, who'd been under the table by Teal'c. Almost immediately there was a flash of bright light, and Thor appeared in the corner of the room. Jack's eyes widened, and he looked down at Jaffer, but the dog was calm, now.  
  
"Greetings, O'Neill."  
  
"Thor, how's it going?"  
  
"Shawn Adams is not in his house, O'Neill." Thor said.  
  
"No.." Jack said, surprised. He'd forgotten in all the other events of the day that Shawn had a lesson with the Asgard that evening. "He's up fishing with his dad, Thor." Jack told him. "They left a day early, and I suppose he didn't have a chance to get the message to you. It was sort of spur of the moment."  
  
Thor nodded. "We were concerned, given the events of the day, and wanted to inform you immediately."  
  
"I appreciate that, Thor." Jack said. He did, too. The Asgard had been extremely careful making sure Jack knew what was going on with Shawn and his instructions with them – as Jack had intended when he'd agreed to allow the lessons to continue. "I suppose we could have sent you the message ourselves, but with all that's been going on, it didn't even occur to me."  
  
"Do you agree with our conclusions, then, that the man in your infirmary is, indeed, Shawn Adams?"  
  
"Yeah. We just can't do much until he wakes up and we can find out what happened."  
  
"Do you require our assistance?" Thor asked. "If you do not, then I will be leaving your planet's orbit."  
  
"Got a hot date tonight?"  
  
Thor stared at him, unsure what that meant, and unsure how to respond. Jack sighed, and shook his head. He'd have to get Shawn to sit down with the Asgard and explain all of these expressions some day.  
  
"Never mind, Thor," Jack said, shaking his head. "If we need anything, we'll get a message to you. Enjoy your weekend."  
  
There was another low growl from under the table and Thor vanished in another bright light.  
  
Sam looked down at the large black dog lounging at Jack's side. "Well, that was new."  
  
"Thor not understanding my sense of humor?" Jack asked. "Nothing new about that."  
  
"The dogs knew Thor was coming before he showed up. And knew he was leaving before he left."  
  
"Yeah? Probably some sound their beaming thing makes," Jack said, shrugging. He was more pleased that no one had mentioned Shawn's parentage with the Asgard around. Of course, that had been the first thing Jack had told them all; he'd given his word to Dotty that Shawn wouldn't find out what he was, and Jack had asked the people with him to agree to that as well.  
  
"Probably," Sam said. It was still interesting.  
  
"So, Dotty Adams had noting to do with the future Shawn showing up at our doorstep?" Hammond asked, trying to get them all back on track.  
  
"No, Sir," Jack said. 'She looked as surprised as we were. She probably would have rushed down here to see him herself, if not for the fact that it would have aroused the interest of the Asgard, who don't know that she knows about the SGC."  
  
"We'll just have to wait, then, I suppose," Hammond said, looking at Fraiser. "How long until he wakes up?"  
  
She shook her head. "He's worn out, Sir. We'll just have to let him sleep it off. He was awake for a minute, but he didn't make much sense, and he went back to sleep immediately and hasn't shown any sign of waking since."  
  
"Keep me informed," Hammond said, standing up. "I want to know if he's here on purpose, or if it was an accident, and we need to start figuring out how to get him back where he belongs." He shot a look directly at Carter, who sighed, but nodded. There wasn't much she could do. 


	16. 16

"I'm going to get some dinner," Daniel said as Hammond left the room. "You guys want to come?"  
  
"I will," Sam nodded.  
  
"As will I."  
  
"Jack?"  
  
O'Neill shook his head, and looked at them. "You guys go ahead. I've got something I want to do."  
  
They nodded and left, Jack trailing behind Teal'c like a big buff-colored shadow. Jaffer stayed with his Colonel, though, and Jack looked down at him when the door closed behind the rest of his team and Fraiser. The brown, intelligent eyes looked back at him, plainly asking what they were going to do now.  
  
"Let's go check on him, Jaffer, shall we?"  
  
They left the briefing room and went to the infirmary, where two Marines were guarding the main door. The two were armed with zats and side arms, and Jack nodded approvingly. He didn't know what was going on with this Shawn, and until he did, he was going to make sure nothing happened to him.  
  
"Anything happening, guys?"  
  
"No, Sir."  
  
"Doctor Fraiser is in there, Sir."  
  
Jack nodded, and opened the door, and he and Jaffer walked in. Janet turned when the door opened and looked down at Jaffer with a slightly disapproving look.  
  
"He's house trained," Jack said, noticing the look.  
  
"He'd better not get in the way."  
  
"Want to take him for a walk?" Jack asked, grinning slightly maliciously. Janet and Cassandra had dog-sat for Jack once when he was off-world on an extended mission. This had been when Jaffer was half-grown, and Janet had found that walking an excitable lab puppy that was hell bent on chasing squirrels wasn't as easy as it looked. According to what Cassandra had told Jack later; Janet had been dragged – sometimes literally – around the park every time they put the leash on him.  
  
"Just keep him close, Colonel." She would have scowled, but it would have just encouraged him, and Fraiser knew it.  
  
"I always do, Doc."  
  
Jack walked over to the bed and looked down at the young man sleeping there. His son.  
  
"How's he doing?"  
  
"He's sleeping, Colonel."  
  
"Is he going to be all right?"  
  
"He's fine. At least, he will be. He's young and healthy."  
  
"When will he wake up?"  
  
"When his eyes open."  
  
"Doc."  
  
"Colonel."  
  
"I need to find out-"  
  
"He needs to sleep, Colonel. You can stay with him if you want to, but I forbid you to do anything to try and wake him up."  
  
"But-"  
  
"I mean it."  
  
Jack scowled, and Fraiser ignored it. She was good at ignoring him when she needed to.  
  
"Fine."  
  
He watched as she checked his stats, and jotted a few notes down on a chart that was hanging on a clipboard from a peg near the bed.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"How is he?"  
  
Janet sighed. "Why don't you go get some dinner, Colonel? And take Jaffer out for some fresh air? Then come back and ask me again." And again. And again.  
  
~*~  
  
"Changed your mind?" Carter asked as Jack came over and sat with the rest of SG-1. He was carrying a tray with a sandwich and a dish of chicken nuggets, and a cup of coffee.  
  
"Fraiser kicked me out of the infirmary," Jack told them as he sat down by Sam, across from Daniel and Teal'c.  
  
"Really?" Sam grinned and watched as Jack handed Jaffer a chicken nugget, then tossed one over to Jack, who caught it expertly.  
  
"Yeah." Another nugget went flying over the table, and was again caught with a snap of strong jaws and flashing white fangs.  
  
"How's Shawn?" Daniel asked.  
  
"Fraiser says he's fine." He took a bite of his sandwich and looked down at brown eyes that were piteously begging for something to eat. And handed Jaffer another chicken nugget. Another one went flying over the table, but Jack's supply was already dwindling. "You go ask her, though," Jack said.  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"She likes you more than me."  
  
"Meaning you kept asking her and that's why she kicked you out of the infirmary in the first place?" Sam asked with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, maybe." Another nugget to Jaffer, and another over the table to Jack.  
  
"Maybe?"  
  
"Yeah, probably." Jack scowled and handed the rest of his sandwich down to Jaffer, who gobbled it up happily. "I'm going to go take a walk."  
  
"Want company?"  
  
"Nah. Eat your dinner. I'll be back in a bit." He stood up and left, with Jaffer walking beside him, not looking in the least bit guilty that he'd had a good meal while Jack had had only a bite or two of his own.  
  
"He's restless," Daniel noticed.  
  
"Yeah." Sam agreed. Of course, O'Neill often was. This time, at least, he had a good excuse. She took a bite of her chicken, and noticed that Jack's brown eyes were watching her intently from the other side of the table. When the yellow lab was standing, he could just see over the top. Sam shook her head, smiling. Jack had both of the dogs so spoiled it was a wonder they weren't fifty pounds overweight and barely able to stand. Without even realizing what she was doing, she reached over and took the last chicken nugget off the tray O'Neill had left, and tossed it over to Jack. 


	17. 17

O'Neill and Jaffer went up to get some fresh air, but they didn't stay outside long. Long enough for Jaffer to take care of some business and for Jack to decide it wasn't much fun standing in the dark waiting for your dog to poop. Of course, this was hardly the first time Jack had decided that.  
  
He briefly debated taking Jaffer back to the kennels, so he could do a little running, but decided to keep him with him. For one thing, he was good company that never talked about things Jack didn't understand, nor did he ever try to make Jack have conversations when he just wanted to be quiet. For another, Jack wasn't sure what was going on, and Teal'c had obviously thought the dogs were a good idea or he wouldn't have brought them down in the first place. Teal'c had good sense when it came to this sort of thing – better than Jack, even, so Jack decided he'd keep the dog close.  
  
They went back inside, and back down to the elevators.  
  
The Marines guarding the door of the infirmary were stoic men, very much aware of their duty, and who had put them there, and as such, they were constantly watching everyone who passed them, warily making sure that everyone there belonged there. When they saw Jaffer coming to the door without O'Neill, it got their attention immediately. The big black lab went right up to them, and sat down in front of them, looking up at one, then the other. They looked down at him, confused, then looked around for Colonel O'Neill. Jaffer woofed, softly, and stood up and walked down the hall, and around the corner, both men watching him.  
  
Jack's head came out from behind the corner only a second after the black tail vanished, and he gave the two men a questioning look and a gesture towards the door. Figuring it out, one of the Marines grinned and shook his head, no. Jack came walking around the corner and up to the door, looking for all the world like he hadn't just been kicked out of the area twenty minutes ago.  
  
"SG-12 just came in and she's giving them all a quick check up, Colonel," the Marine on the right said.  
  
"She's in the Gate Room." The Marine on the left told him.  
  
"Thanks, guys. If she asks, you didn't see me."  
  
"She outranks us, Sir."  
  
"Yeah, okay... UNLESS she asks, you didn't see me."  
  
Jack opened the door, gestured Jaffer in, and then walked in behind him and closed the door again. Fraiser would never know he was back. He went over to the chair Daniel had long since abandoned, and sat down, turning the chair a little and putting his feet carefully up on the edge of the bed somewhere near Shawn's knees. Jaffer came and settled beside Jack's chair, lying down with a contented sigh.  
  
~*~  
  
A hand touching his cheek woke him up much later. Jack jerked awake, unaware that he'd fallen asleep, and saw that the young man who'd been sleeping so peacefully was now sitting up on the edge of the bed, a sheet around his waist and nothing more. He was looking curiously at Jack, and Jaffer was on his feet, tail wagging a mile a minute as he waited for his share of attention.  
  
Shawn drew his hand back, and smiled apologetically for startling him.  
  
"You're different..." He said, softly.  
  
"Have you looked in a mirror, lately?" Jack asked, sitting up completely, and studying his face. "You're a lot older than the little boy I checked on at school today."  
  
"What?" There was obvious confusion, now, and a look that Sam would have recognized as being the same one Jack gave whenever he was confused.  
  
"Apparently, you're from the future," Jack said, standing up and coming over to sit beside the boy – man on his bed. It was easier to talk to someone when you weren't looking up at them. Jaffer stuck his nose in Shawn's hand, unwilling to wait any longer to be petted. Even if Jack had believed nothing else, he would have known then that this was Shawn, because Jaffer obviously knew it was, and accepted it quite readily.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I know, I was pretty skeptical, too." Jack said. "First of all, how do you feel?"  
  
"Tired and a bit stiff."  
  
"You were pretty hurt when you came flying through the Gate this morning."  
  
"I was..." He paused, trying to think around the haze of the events of the past day. "I was..." He looked at Jack, then down at Jaffer, then back at Jack. "I'm in the past?"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"What year is it?"  
  
"What year are you from?"  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"I asked first."  
  
"I outrank you."  
  
"Damn. I'm 24."  
  
"Here, you're 12."  
  
"12? Really?"  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
"No wonder you looked so different." He looked down at Jaffer, stroking the big head fondly. "You do, too, little man."  
  
"So, what are-"  
  
The door opened, and Fraiser walked in, and instantly bristled to see her patient sitting up in bed, touching a dog that wasn't sanitary and talking to a Colonel that wasn't supposed to be there.  
  
"He woke up on his own," Jack said immediately. "I had nothing to do with it."  
  
"Doctor Fraiser?" Shawn's eyes widened in surprise, and he grinned, broadly. "God, you're beautiful!"  
  
Fraiser was clearly taken back, but she smiled, because the man had an infectious grin, and she knew immediately whom he'd inherited that from. She'd seen it a million times, after all.  
  
"You're forgiven."  
  
Jack looked over at her, surprised. "That's it?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"No 'Get back in bed! What are you doing out of bed? Don't touch that dog, you don't know where he's been!'?"  
  
"He's in bed, Colonel." Janet said, just a little defensively, aware that she had just been bowled over with the charming smile and compliment. She walked over to the bed and gave Shawn a quick physical. "How do you feel?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"You told me you were stiff and sore."  
  
"You can't keep me in bed," Shawn told Jack. "She can."  
  
"He's your son, all right," Janet said, grinning despite herself. 


	18. 18

"I wish I had a dollar for every time someone's said that," Shawn said, smiling at Jack.  
  
Jack nodded; he had only found out today, and already was hearing it a lot.  
  
"So, how do you feel, really?" Fraiser asked, studying him critically. He looked fairly pale, and he seemed to moving stiffly, but he was very alert, and joking, so he was obviously not feeling any mental affects of his injuries. It helped that he hadn't had any head injuries.  
  
"I'm a bit sore, and I feel stiff." He looked down at himself, bandages and a sheet. "And I could use some clothes and something to eat."  
  
"That's good to hear." Fraiser took his pulse and checked his blood pressure, which was low. Of course, it'd go up a bit if he ate something, so that was a priority. "Think you're good to get out of bed?" She asked him. "If you're not, I can have something to eat brought to you. If you are, I'll allow you to go to the commissary."  
  
"If I can get some pants, I'll go to the commissary."  
  
"Colonel? He looks about your size. Do you have any spare uniforms here? Or should I go to supply?"  
  
"I have some," Jack said, wondering how Shawn was able to get out of bed so soon when he was certain if it were him, she'd have strapped him to the bed and spoon fed him for at least another week. "I'll be right back."  
  
O'Neill gestured for Jaffer to stay where he was, and then left the infirmary and went to the locker room, where he kept his extra uniforms. He always kept at least one, and usually two, and Jack pulled down a shirt and BDUs, but he only had dress shoes besides the boots he was already wearing, and he didn't want Shawn to have to go around in slippers or something. He stopped at the supply room, and grabbed a pair of new boots – guessing that Shawn was close to his size – a couple pairs of socks and a pack of underwear. No sense going commando if he didn't have to, and Jack knew from experience that BDUs could give a guy quite a rash under the right circumstances.  
  
He walked past the two Marines guarding the door – different Marines, since the watch had changed – and smiled. Jaffer had jumped up onto the bed, pretty much taking up everything that Shawn wasn't, and it was apparent that Fraiser hadn't told him to jump up there. She was trying to pull him down by his collar, but the black lab had himself dug in well, and wasn't going to be moved.  
  
"Damn it, Colonel," Fraiser complained. Shawn had his hand under Jaffer's black butt, and was pulling, but the young man was still weak, and the dog was a lot of stubborn when he wanted to be. Which was pretty much all the time.  
  
"Jaffer, get down before the Doctor decides to neuter you." Jack said, tossing the clothing on the bed and gesturing for the dog to move. Jaffer moved, but only reluctantly, and the look he gave Jack was reproachful as he jumped back down to the floor easily.  
  
"I guessed at your shoe size," Jack told Shawn, gesturing to the clothes. "But everything else should be close."  
  
"Thanks, um..."  
  
"Jack."  
  
Shawn nodded, grinning, and Jack wondered what the boy called him in the future, but he didn't ask.  
  
They both turned to Fraiser, who was glaring at Jaffer.  
  
"Doc?"  
  
She looked up, then realized that Shawn wanted to get dressed without her in the room. Like she hadn't seen everything anyways when she undressed him, Janet thought to herself, shaking her head.  
  
"I'll wait outside for you two." She told Jack. "Keep Jaffer off my beds." With that final warning, she left the room and closed the door behind her.  
  
"You always were the only one who control him," Shawn said, pulling off the sheet gratefully and looking down at Jaffer. "He'll listen to anyone, but won't do squat without hearing it from you."  
  
Jack smiled and helped Shawn get dressed, watching the young man carefully for any wincing that would be a sign that he was in more pain than he was letting on. He moved slowly, but he didn't seem to be more than a little sore and stiff, just like he'd said.  
  
When he was dressed – with the shirt unbuttoned because they couldn't get it buttoned around all the bandages swathing Shawn's chest and belly – Jack looked at his son critically.  
  
"You're looking a little naked," he said, pulling out the dog tags that Sam had given him and handing them over.  
  
"Where's my other necklace?" Shawn asked as he put the chain over his head and straightened them automatically.  
  
"You'll have to get that from Daniel. He's been trying to figure out where the arrowhead is from since he saw it."  
  
"It's from Ja-"Shawn cut himself off, giving Jack a look that O'Neill couldn't possibly interpret. "A friend of mine gave it to me," He said. "A good friend."  
  
"Then make sure you remember to get it back."  
  
"I will, Jack, thanks."  
  
Shawn walked to the door carefully, looking as stiff as Jack had ever seen anyone look, and shook his head.  
  
"I'm not sure I can make it as far as the commissary without help, Jack."  
  
"Make it as far as the corner, and I'll help you when Fraiser isn't looking."  
  
"Okay."  
  
They walked out the door, and Jack smiled at the way Fraiser came over and gave Shawn another check-up. It was fun to see her annoying someone else for a change.  
  
"Do you hurt?" She asked him.  
  
"No, I'm just stiff, mostly."  
  
Fraiser ran her hands along the inside of his open uniform shirt, looking for all the world like she was hugging him, even though Jack knew better, since she'd done the same thing to him a million times.  
  
"No tenderness?" She asked, watching his reaction carefully.  
  
Shawn shook his head.  
  
"Here?"  
  
"A little."  
  
"How little?"  
  
"Just a little."  
  
"You're not too sore to make it to the commissary?"  
  
"Never too sore to get to dinner."  
  
"Don't worry, Doc." Jack told her. "If he needs you, we'll call."  
  
"Why don't I believe that, Colonel?"  
  
The two of them gave her identical innocent looks, and Fraiser shook her head. Bad enough she had to deal with one, but adding another person who was so similar to Jack was just going to drive her insane if she wasn't careful.  
  
"If he so much as stubs his toe, I want you to call me," she told O'Neill, glaring at him.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
  
"I mean it."  
  
"I know."  
  
"And keep your dog off my beds!"  
  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
  
Mumbling to herself, Janet turned on her heel and went back into the infirmary – probably to change the bed since Jaffer had contaminated it, Jack decided. He motioned for the Marines that had been guarding the door to follow him and Shawn, and then they made their way, slowly, to the commissary. 


	19. 19

"Colonel!"  
  
They'd only made it as far as the next corridor when they heard someone calling. Both men turned their heads at the same time – to the hidden amusement of the Marines following them – and looked to see Sam coming up behind them, with Daniel beside her. They were both smiling to see Shawn on his feet, even though he was leaning heavily on Jack for support, and he smiled just as broadly to see them.  
  
"Look who finally woke up," Jack said to them.  
  
It was an odd experience meeting someone who was twelve years older than he was the last time you spoke to him, but it was no less odd than meeting someone who was suddenly that much younger, and there was a moment of silence as Daniel and Sam studied Shawn, and vice versa as Shawn studied them.  
  
"You look great, Shawn," Sam said, finally. He did, too. He was a handsome young man, with intelligent eyes and a well-formed body – even covered in all the bandages. "Very handsome."  
  
Shawn blushed, despite himself, which made Sam smile broadly as she came up on the other side of the young man so she could support him as well.  
  
"Fraiser let you out of bed?" Daniel asked, dubiously.  
  
"Yup. Told me to go get something to eat." Shawn smiled. "I think she just wanted to get Jack out of her hair, and knew that he wasn't going to leave until I did."  
  
"I wasn't bothering her," Jack protested as they resumed walking.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure you weren't, Jack," Daniel said, smiling. "I'm sure you were just sitting there quietly, and not giving her any trouble at all."  
  
"I wasn't-"  
  
"He wasn't," Shawn admitted. "Jaffer was."  
  
"Ah."  
  
That one word was filled with understanding. Jaffer was a lot like Jack O'Neill, which made sense, since he'd spent his entire life watching him and learning from him. He was stubborn, and at times disobedient, and could turn a room upside down in only moments. And charming enough that he could get away with a lot more than he should have. And utterly loyal to those around him.  
  
"He didn't get up on the beds, did he?"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"Janet hates it when he does that."  
  
"I know."  
  
"He does, too, I'll bet." Sam said with another smile, looking own at the lab fondly.  
  
They reached the commissary and Jack and Sam deposited Shawn into a chair, where he gave a sigh of relief at being able to rest.  
  
"You okay?" Jack asked, hovering slightly.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Didn't stub your toe?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Then you must be okay."  
  
Sam and Daniel didn't bother to try and understand that logic, although it made Shawn smile. Jack went over to get something to eat for him and Shawn, followed by a hopeful Jaffer, who was always looking for something to eat.  
  
The commissary was open all day long, in deference to the fact that there were always people keeping odd hours on the base who might want something to eat. The cooks were gone, however, and the people who kept the odd hours were pretty much stuck with cold foods. Sandwiches, for the most part, although there were salads and fruit cups for those who didn't want much more than a snack. And of course, there were desserts. Pudding and jello, and pie, cake and even ice cream.  
  
Jack ignored the dessert and grabbed four sandwiches and piled them on his tray. Then he looked over at Sam and Daniel.  
  
"You guys want anything?"  
  
"Pie."  
  
"Pudding."  
  
He added these to his plate, looked down at Jaffer and added another sandwich, then showed the woman behind the register what he had so she could charge it to him, and walked back over to the table and sat down next to Shawn.  
  
"Hungry?" Sam asked, reaching for her pie.  
  
"A bit."  
  
None of them were surprised when Jack handed Shawn two of the sandwiches and started tearing apart the third.  
  
"So what happened?" Daniel asked Shawn as Jack handed down a piece of sandwich to Jaffer. "How did you end up here, or why?"  
  
Shawn shrugged, thinking back over the morning, which was a lot clearer to him now than it had been.  
  
"I was with SG-1 on YD4-PLQ this morning. We were doing a simple recon, nothing more. And we were suddenly surrounded by Ashrak."  
  
"Surrounded?" Sam interrupted, surprised. "There were more than one?"  
  
Shawn nodded. "Seven of them, all invisible. We didn't even know they were there until they had us, and then only because they showed themselves." He shook his head, as though blaming himself for not noticing them.  
  
"I've never heard of Ashrak teaming up before," Daniel said. "Of course, I don't know a lot about them, but it doesn't seem like something they'd do."  
  
"It isn't something they do," Shawn confirmed. "They work poorly as a team, because their egos get in the way."  
  
"So what did you do?" Jack asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. It was obvious the boy got away or he wouldn't be sitting there.  
  
"Set off a shock grenade and knocked 'em all back on their asses."  
  
"A shock grenade?" Daniel asked, confused. "Wouldn't that have had the same affect on you?"  
  
"It's a special one, Daniel. Made by yours truly." Shawn grinned. "I got a hold of some Goa'uld weaponry a few years back and started tinkering with it to see what I could do to make it useful to us, and not to them. One of the things I did was change the dynamics of the shock grenades that I found to accommodate exactly the kind of situation that we were facing. It does the same kind of damage that it normally does, only people – or whatever – that are within two and a half feet of the device aren't affected, only the people outside that failsafe range are."  
  
"Impressive." Sam looked a little surprised.  
  
"It was your idea, Sam," Shawn told her, taking a bite of the sandwich. "I just did the work."  
  
"So then what?" Jack asked.  
  
"We ran like hell back to the Gate, and dialed home. I was laying down cover fire, because the grenade didn't knock the Ashrak out like it should have – probably some kind of armor or shielding – but it did give us the running room we needed. We dialed home and I sent the others through. One of the Ashrak yelled for me to stop, and threw something at me that exploded." He shrugged, "I remember the blast, but I don't remember coming through the Gate."  
  
"The concussion from the blast probably threw you through the Stargate," Sam said. "Which explains the injuries Doctor Fraiser found on you."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure you weren't dialing twelve years in the past," Jack said. "How did you end up here?"  
  
"When we first headed off-world, we knew the wormhole was going to pass close enough to a red giant that the gravity might pull us a little off course," Shawn said. "We decided to risk it, since it was an important planet to visit – at least we were told it was. The explosion probably sent extra energy through the wormhole, and added to the gravitational pull of the wormhole, sending me back in time, but to the same place I was dialed in at."  
  
Jack was having trouble following the techno babble; although it was obvious Sam was by the way she kept nodding her agreement. Shawn might look like Jack, but he sure didn't think like him. Apparently the lessons with the Asgard had been successful to some degree. His son was an egghead, too.  
  
"The rest of your team probably made it home to their time safely," Sam said. "If they were through before the explosion."  
  
"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking," Shawn agreed. "They must be worried sick, or assuming the worst."  
  
"I'm more curious about these Ashrak," Jack said. "Why would a group of them be out on some planet? Did you go looking for them?"  
  
"Hell, no. We were told there was a cache of Seridinian on the planet." He saw the blank looks. "It's a metal that- well it doesn't matter. Anyways, we got some bad intel, and ran into the ambush."  
  
"Or you were tricked into going to this ambush." Jack said. Ambushes and setups were things he understood.  
  
Shawn nodded. "You're probably right." He shrugged and finished his first sandwich. "Whoever did it, though, didn't get what they wanted. Whatever that was. We got away." 


	20. 20

They sat and talked about the narrow escape for a while longer, and the possibility that the rest of the future SG-1 were somewhere besides home, but Jack was only partially listening to that. His ever-suspicious mind was focused on the fact that a group of assassins that never grouped together had been waiting for Shawn's team on a planet that they'd been tricked – probably – into going to.  
  
"Any chance they were after you?" Jack asked as he handed Jaffer the remainder of his last sandwich.  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Seven Ashrak?" Shawn shook his head. "I'm not worth-"  
  
"How did you get the Goa'uld weaponry you were telling us about?" Jack interrupted. "Did you do something that might piss off a Goa'uld – or two – enough that they'd want you out of the way? Or even better, they'd want you brought to..." He trailed off, his mind still mulling the possibilities, even as Shawn shook his head.  
  
"I found it in a cache at a dead system lord's stronghold. There wasn't any- "  
  
"Have you fixed whatever it is the Asgard want you to fix?" Jack asked, interrupting again.  
  
"I'm working on it."  
  
"How many people know that? Is it something that someone might send assassins to stop you from finishing?"  
  
Shawn thought about that, but shrugged. "I don't know, Jack. I doubt it." He tossed the rest of his sandwich to Jaffer, who ate it willingly. "It's probably a coincidence, Jack. Maybe it was just some kind of training camp for the Ashrak, and we stumbled onto it by surprise."  
  
"Which could explain why you escaped so easily," Daniel said. "If they weren't fully trained, they wouldn't have been ready for whatever you threw at them."  
  
"True." Sam nodded her agreement. She knew more about the Ashrak than Jack or Daniel through Jolinar's memories.  
  
Jack didn't look convinced, but he didn't press the issue. He didn't like coincidences.  
  
"We should probably get you back to the infirmary," Sam said to Shawn.  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Because she'll come looking for you, thinking you've stubbed your toe and we didn't call her," Jack said, pushing his chair back.  
  
Shawn scowled, a look that was so familiar to Sam that she smiled.  
  
"He's right. You don't want to make Doctor Fraiser come looking for you, Shawn. You should have learned that by now."  
  
The young man stood up, stiffly, and leaned on the table until he was certain that his legs would hold him up. "I suppose you're right. But I'm not going to stay there. I don't need to be mothered."  
  
"You can tell her that," Daniel said. "Maybe she'll listen to you."  
  
"Good luck," Jack told him, skeptically. He moved the chair out of the way and stepped right up beside Shawn, offering him a shoulder, while Sam did the same on the other side. The young man put an arm over each of them, and sighed as they took the majority of his weight off his tired legs. "She sees you leaning like this, and you'll never get out again."  
  
"She won't."  
  
They walked out the door of the commissary, and down the corridor, limited to the slow pace that Shawn set.  
  
"I wonder where-"  
  
A snarl interrupted Daniel, and Jack looked down at Jaffer, shocked to see that the black lab had his hackles up and was staring at the empty hall in front of them, lips curled back in a way Jack had never seen before.  
  
"What the-"  
  
It was only the arrogance of the assassin that saved them. Certain he had the group in a tight place that they couldn't escape, the Ashrak became visible, wanting the human to know what killed him when he died. What he hadn't counted on – because he'd never dealt with one before – was the dog. It was making noise, but it was only waist high and had no hands and therefore no weapon, so the assassin assumed erroneously that it wasn't a threat.  
  
The Ashrak growled something in Goa'uld as he raised his hand, a nasty looking weapon in it that was pointed directly at Shawn's chest. Sam and Jack both reacted, pushing the young man backward into the two Marines that had been idly trailing the group, and jumping in front of him. The weapon fired, and the bolt of energy that shot from the barrel struck Sam and knocked her back into the staggering group as well.  
  
"Sam!" Daniel caught her as she fell, but Jack didn't even turn. His hand was reaching back for the Beretta that he'd stashed in the holster in the belt of his pants when he'd went to his locker for the spare uniforms, but he knew he was too late, even as his hand was closing on the butt of the gun, the weapon was turning on him, the arrogant face of the assassin grinning triumphantly at him.  
  
Jaffer launched himself at the hand that was holding the weapon, white fangs flashing as the dog ripped the flesh open to the bone, blood spattering. The assassin cursed and the weapon dropped from a hand that was suddenly useless as the ligaments and tendons were ripped through. It gave Jack the time he needed.  
  
He brought the Berretta up and emptied the clip into the assassin's chest, knocking the man backwards to the concrete floor. Jaffer launched himself again, unwilling to break off the attack now that his blood was flowing, and with the man on his back, this time the lab didn't go for the hand. His jaws clamped down on the armor that protected the assassin's neck, and he snarled as the man moved under him, still very much alive thanks to the chest armor that he wore.  
  
The man tossed the dog away, suddenly terrified as the beast he'd least expected to be a danger turned out to be the most vicious. Jaffer tumbled to the floor, but he wasn't any more finished with his attack than the assassin was. The Ashrak reached for another, smaller weapon as he struggled to his feet, and Jack reached back to get another clip for his Beretta at the same moment. Jaffer went for the back of the man's knee this time, instinct sending him for the hamstring, but it wasn't necessary.  
  
There was another snarl, and then a loud zapping noise, and the assassin fell on his face before he even brought the second weapon to bear on Jack.  
  
O'Neill looked up the corridor and saw Teal'c standing there, his staff weapon in hand and Jack with his blonde hackles raised and white fangs flashing as the dog looked at the now unconscious assassin. Jaffer was growling low, as well, waiting for the assailant to get back up so he could have another go at him, but it wasn't going to happen. Not if Jack had anything to say about it.  
  
"Give me that," He told one of the Marines, reaching for the zat the man was holding. The Marines hadn't been idle; they just hadn't had a chance to use their weapons without fear of getting Jack caught between them and the Ashrak. He took it and shot the assassin, once, then twice, then a third time. He wasn't going to take any chances, and he watched as the man disappeared.  
  
"Good timing, Teal'c," Jack said, turning to check on Sam and Shawn. 


	21. 21

Sam was unconscious and Daniel, Shawn and the other Marine were all crouched next to her, the Marine looking for more threats, the other two men trying to assess what injuries she'd taken from the blast. Jack knelt next to her as well, his fingers searching for a pulse.  
  
"She's alive, Jack," Daniel told him. "Just knocked out."  
  
"The bolt didn't hit her full force," Shawn said. "If it had, she'd probably be dead. As it is, I think she'll wake up with nothing more than a nasty headache."  
  
"You have experience with this weapon?" Teal'c asked, picking up the wicked looking firearm that the assassin had dropped when Jaffer slashed his wrist open.  
  
"It's a B'kedricti." Shawn said, nodding. "Standard weapon for Ashraks. I've seen more than a few. Very nasty."  
  
"Can it get though their armor?" Jack asked. Obviously a 9-millimeter shell couldn't.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good." He gave Carter another glance, just to remind himself that she wasn't hurt badly, and then stood up. "Teal'c, you and Peterson go call up the troops. I don't know how many more of those things there are on this base, but we're going to track the bastards down before they come looking for us." He looked down at Jaffer, who was still bristling, slightly, and looking around as if trying to figure out where the quarry had vanished to. Jack was equally disturbed, his hackles still up, even though he was calmly standing next to Teal'c.  
  
"I want every dog on the base down here with a handler. Jaffer knew the guy was here way before I did, and that's all the advantage we have right now." He called the black lab to his side, and took the B'kedricti from Teal'c. "I'm going to get Carter to the infirmary, then I'll meet you in the briefing room."  
  
"I shall be there, with reinforcements."  
  
Teal'c and one of the Marines left, and Jack looked down the hall suspiciously, and then looked at Jaffer, as though checking to make sure thee wasn't another assassin lurking nearby. "Daniel? Will you help Roberts carry Sam?" Shawn wasn't up to helping, and Jack didn't want his hands full in case they came across another invisible enemy.  
  
"Of course."  
  
Daniel and the remaining Marine picked Carter up carefully, and with Jaffer and Jack leading, and Shawn trailing behind holding the Marine's zat to cover the rear, they went to the infirmary.  
  
"It's about time you came back," Fraiser said when the door opened and Jaffer and Jack walked in. "I was about to send-"  
  
She interrupted herself when she saw Daniel and the Marine carrying an obviously unconscious Sam, and noticed that Jack was looking deadly serious and carrying a weapon she'd never seen before  
  
"What happened?" She gestured for the men to lay Carter in the bed that Shawn had been in, and as they did Shawn entered the room and closed the door behind him, leaning heavily against it, even though he tried to hide the fact.  
  
"We've got some unwanted company on the base, Doc," Jack said. "An Ashrak assassin just about had us in the hall."  
  
"What did he hit her with?" Fraiser asked, assuming correctly that that was the reason Carter was unconscious.  
  
"This thing." Jack showed Fraiser the weapon. "It shot some kind of energy bolt at her."  
  
"It's a shock bolt, Doctor Fraiser," Shawn told her from his position by the door. "It's a mixture of a concussion grenade and an electrical shock. It's probably just knocked her out since it didn't hit her straight on."  
  
"I'll make sure," Janet said, looking at the young man in surprise. He obviously knew a lot more about the weapon Jack was holding than the Colonel did. "Are there anymore of these people on base?"  
  
"I'm going to find out," Jack said. "Daniel, you're with me. Roberts, you stay and keep an eye on things here."  
  
"I'll come with you, Jack." Shawn said.  
  
"No, you'll stay here." He wasn't in any shape to go running around the corridors.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Do what you're told," Jack said, handing the B'kedricti to him.  
  
The chin came up, and the young man's jaw tightened. Jack knew he was about to argue, and cut him off before he could say a word. Speaking slowly, and making sure to enunciate every word clearly, Jack made his orders unambiguous.  
  
"You'll stay here, and you'll guard Major Carter and Doctor Fraiser. That is an order, Lieutenant Colonel. Do you understand?"  
  
"I can help-"  
  
"You'll be more help here."  
  
"I'm not a child, Jack!"  
  
"Colonel!" Jack's temper flared, as it was wont to do when he was worried. "You will do what I tell you, or I'll slap you in irons and chain you to the door knob. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
There was a moment. Just a brief moment when Jack thought Shawn was going to continue the argument. After all, he was his father's son. However, he was also an officer in the United States Air Force, and years of military discipline had done for him what it didn't do for Jack – taught him to follow orders that were given by a superior officer, no matter how much he didn't want to.  
  
"Yes, Sir." The words were soft, and there was a glitter of anger in Shawn's brown eyes, but Jack ignored it. The boy could hate him, as long as he lived to.  
  
"Good." He took the zat from Shawn and tossed it to Daniel, who caught it easily. "I'm going to leave Jaffer with you. If he so much as raises an ear, I want you to watch the door and shoot anything that comes through it. Even if you don't see anything. Understand?"  
  
"But, what-"  
  
"Do you understand? Yes or no?"  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"Roberts?"  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"Good. Doc, if Carter wakes up, keep her here, no matter what she tells you. Unless you hear otherwise, from me, no one leaves this room until I give an all clear."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"Let's go, Daniel."  
  
Jack moved to the door, followed by Daniel and Jaffer, but Jack signaled the black lab to stay put. It was obvious to everyone that the dog was no more pleased to be left behind than Shawn was, but Jack didn't change his mind.  
  
He closed the door behind him and Daniel, and looked down the hall, feeling fairly well exposed.  
  
"You know..." Daniel said as he looked down the hall in the other direction, feeling just as naked as Jack. "You're not always going to be able to protect them."  
  
Jack's actions hadn't fooled Daniel a bit. True, Sam was hurt and needed protection, just in case, but it hadn't escaped Daniel's attention that O'Neill had just put the two people he cared most about in the world in the same small room, with the only two things that would probably be any use against the Ashrak, besides Teal'c's staff weapon – the B'kedricti, and Jaffer.  
  
"Yes, I will." He turned and started towards the elevators, his Beretta held out in front of him. The weapon wouldn't do much good, but it would knock the Ashrak down and immobilize it long enough for Daniel to use his zat. 


	22. 22

Author's note: Yeah, I pretty much made up the weapon in question. (I definitely made up the name, which is why it's so retarded) I'm terrible at making up names I'll probably make up a few more things as the next chapters come along, so bear with me !  
  
~*~  
  
"The damn door doesn't even have a knob," Shawn muttered glumly as it closed behind Jack and Daniel.  
  
"What?" Fraiser asked from where she was examining Carter.  
  
Shawn shook his head and reached down to scratch Jaffer's ears; well aware he owed the black lab his life. He walked over to the bed, slowly and stiffly – but that didn't mean he couldn't have been some help! - and looked down at Carter.  
  
"Is she all right?"  
  
"Yes. It looks like you're right and she's just knocked out." Fraiser looked at him, noting that he looked a little pale himself. "How do you feel?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine, huh?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Shawn looked down and checked the charge on the weapon in his hand, and found it was fully recharged. It would have a good dozen shots of full strength energy before it needed to be allowed to recharge again.  
  
"You know..." A soft whisper caught their attention and they both looked down to see that Sam had opened her eyes. She looked dazed, and slightly out of focus, but she was awake and trying to talk.  
  
"Don't say anything, Sam," Fraiser said, resting her hand on the Major's forehead tenderly.  
  
"He's not... mad... at you, Shawn..." Sam said, looking up at the young man, without moving her head, which was pounding.  
  
Shawn nodded, and smiled faintly. Sam had always been the one to try to explain Jack to him, even when he was a little boy. And she was always dead on. It showed how very well she knew the man. And how much she cared for Shawn, since she had to be hurting like hell, and all she could think of was to protect his ego and feelings from Jack's anger.  
  
"I know, Sam. He gets worried, and he yells." He leaned down and kissed her softly, which caused the Marine's eyes to widen considerably. "Thank you, though."  
  
Sam smiled, and reached for his hand. "What happened?"  
  
"How do you feel?" Fraiser asked her.  
  
"Like I was hit by a truck. Head first. Did you guys get the driver?"  
  
"He's dead," Shawn confirmed. "If Jack hadn't killed him, Jaffer would have."  
  
"Crazy dog."  
  
As if in response to his name, Jaffer jumped up onto the foot of Sam's bed, eliciting a dirty look from Fraiser, which he ignored completely. Sam smiled, painfully, and asked if she could have something for her head, which was pounding.  
  
As Fraiser got her a glass of water and a couple of very strong painkillers, Shawn settled himself on the edge of the bed, although the hand he held the B'kedricti in was still slightly pointed at the door and his attention partially on Jaffer.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"For what?"  
  
Shawn smiled. "You think I didn't notice you jumping in front of me and pushing me out of the way?"  
  
Sam echoed his smile. "You're important to me, too, Shawn. Jack doesn't have the monopoly on that."  
  
"Obviously."  
  
"Are you going to let him sprawl on you like that, Sam?" Fraiser asked, bringing water and medication over to the bed. Sam looked down at the foot of the bed, where the black lab was, literally, sprawled.  
  
"He's not on me, Janet." Sam said, swallowing the tablets and washing them down with a long drink of the water.  
  
"Why don't you tell him to move?"  
  
"Why? He won't listen to me, even if I do."  
  
"Shawn?"  
  
The young man shook his head. "Sorry Doctor. You want him off; you'll have to wait until Jack tells him to move. He's got his orders, after all." There was still bitterness in Shawn's voice, since he realized that he, too, had orders, and no matter how badly he wanted to disobey them – and he did – he wouldn't.  
  
~*~  
  
"Report."  
  
Jack and Daniel had made it to the briefing room without running into anything or anyone. Jack wasn't sure if he should be relieved or worried about that, though. There had to be more of the slimy bastards around the base, and he'd rather know where they were, even if it meant they were shooting at him.  
  
"Three teams of dogs and handlers are coming down now, Sir," Sergeant Davis reported, holding a cellular phone. "I just notified General Hammond, and he's coming in from his house. His ETA is 30 minutes. No one else has had a run-in with any of the Ashrak, but everyone is on high alert, just in case, and all base travel – with the exception of the General, when he shows – has been suspended."  
  
"It may be that we are closing the silo entry following the equine's escape," Teal'c said, darkly from the corner of the room. Everyone in the room stopped and tried to figure that out.  
  
"Closing the barn door after the horse got out, Teal'c," Jack said, absently, reaching over and taking Walter's cell phone from him. "And you're right. I need to call Dotty, just to be on the safe side."  
  
He dialed the number from memory, and after a few rings, a sleepy voice answered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Dotty?"  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"Yeah. Listen... we have a problem. About 10 minutes ago, an Ashrak attacked Shawn – the older version of Shawn – here on the base. Ar-"  
  
"An Ashrak? Are you certain?" She was wide-awake, now.  
  
"Oh, yeah. We killed it, but we don't know how many more there might be, and we're not positive that at least one hasn't made it off the base. They're invisible."  
  
"Yes, I know. Do you have any Heftarii?"  
  
"Heftarii?" Jack looked at Teal'c as he said the word, hoping for an explanation, but the Jaffa shrugged. He'd never heard it before.  
  
"It's a device that modifies the sound and radio waves in a small area. If you had some, it would negate the Ashrak advantage of invisibility. It interferes with most cloaking devices at the source. Large or small."  
  
"We don't have any." Jack told her, wishing very much that he did. "Listen, Dotty. You need to get to Shawn – the little Shawn – and make sure he's really okay. I'm not sure if I mentioned where he was and if I did, I'm not sure that it wasn't someplace that one of these assassin guys might not have overheard it."  
  
"I'll take care of Shawn, Jack."  
  
"Do you need me to send you some men? I can spare as many as you think will help to keep-"  
  
"No Ashrak can hurt Shawn with me around him, Jack." Dotty told him, certainly. Jack believed her. After all, she was one of the Ancients, right? Probably had a ton of cool weapons. Too bad he couldn't bring her to the base. But that was out of the question. Besides, little Shawn needed her a lot more than Jack did. "Send someone out here, Jack. I have several heftarii, and I will give them to you."  
  
"I'll do that, Dotty. Thanks."  
  
O'Neill tossed the phone back to Sergeant Davis.  
  
"Call Hammond back and send him over to Shawn's house. He knows where it is. Tell him Dotty Adams is going to give him some Atari's that will help us see these Ashrak through their cloaking devices."  
  
Davis started dialing, and Jack looked up as the door opened and two men with two German shepherds walked in, reporting.  
  
"We can't wait for Hammond, though," he told Teal'c, Daniel and the others. "I don't want these guys on the base any longer than necessary." 


	23. 23

O'Neill divided them into teams to do the sweep. They were limited by the fact that they only had four dogs – counting Jack. The base just didn't have that many to begin with, and a couple were being loaned out with their handlers to the local airports for drug-sniffing duties. They did have a ready supply of zats, since the first stop Daniel and Jack had made on their way to the briefing room had been the armory, which they'd cleaned out of zats, then had locked up tightly to keep the rest of the weapons from going to the wrong hands.  
  
The other three dogs – the last of which arrived only moments after Davis got off the phone with Hammond the second time – were all German Shepherds, and were about the same size as Jack, who was fairly large for a lab. And they were all trained for this kind of thing. Even better than Jaffer and Jack were.  
  
"You guys keep a sharp eye on the dogs." Jack told the Marines as he separated them. He put Daniel and Teal'c together with Jack and two Marines, and then motioned for three other Marines to come with him. They'd be the fifth team, even though they didn't have a dog. The other 12 Marines were put into teams with the German Shepherds and their handlers. "The dogs know these guys are there, even though they're invisible. Your dog starts going nuts on you and staring at empty air, and chances are the air isn't so empty, so shoot at it with a zat. They're invisible, but that doesn't mean you can't get a shot at them. Worst you can do is hit nothing, and it might save your life."  
  
"Prisoners, Sir?" One of the Lieutenants asked, checking his zat.  
  
"Hell, no. I want them dead." He made sure everyone understood that, and waited for the nods all around. "No heroics, guys and gals. Don't wait until you have a clear shot, just make sure what you're shooting at isn't one of us." The base was on lockdown and since it was the middle of the night, most of the civilians and off duty people were gone, anyways. The others would be in their quarters. Part of the sweep would send the teams with dogs to these rooms, just to make sure they're clear, and then the occupants would lock the door behind the team, to make sure it stayed clean. Jack and his team were the ones that would coordinate the other teams, and provide backup should someone run into one of the Ashrak. They had the most dangerous job, since they didn't have a dog, but it wasn't an assignment O'Neill would give to any of the others.  
  
"If you get into a firefight, and someone goes down, call in to me, and my team will get that person to the infirmary. You will all stay together with your team and your dog. Understood?"  
  
They all nodded, understanding the danger of being separated.  
  
"Any other questions?"  
  
There were none. O'Neill looked at Davis, who was the only man in the room not assigned to a team.  
  
"We're going to clear the Command center first, Sergeant. Then you'll lock it behind us, and check off the levels as I call them in to you that they're cleared."  
  
"Yes, Sir." They'd practiced this before, even though never with invisible enemies, so this wasn't anything they couldn't understand. He waited until O'Neill sent a team with one of the Shepherds into the command center, and declared it empty, then the rest of them left that room, and the Sergeant locked the door behind them, watching various monitors, but really not able to keep track of everything without relying on the radio chatter.  
  
"We're down here, so we might as well start with the Gate room and work our way up to the top levels," Jack told the others. "Everyone ready?"  
  
They were Marines, of course they were ready.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
~*~  
  
"Do you have a radio in here?" Carter asked Fraiser. "At least we could see keep track of what's going on."  
  
"I have one, Ma'am," The Marine said, holding his out to her. Sam was awake, but she was still aching, and she winced when she held her hand out to take it from him.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She turned it on just in time to hear the teams do a radio check, which told her how many teams there were, and also who was which team number, and who was with which team. Sam recognized Teal'c's deep voice immediately and knew his team – whoever it was – was designated as S-2, the 'S' probably standing for 'sweep', although Sam wasn't sure. Jack's clear, serious voice was S-1, and three voices that only sounded slightly familiar to Sam made up the leaders of S-3, S-4, and S-5. The Marine with them furnished names, since he knew all the other Marines on the base.  
  
"I should be out there with him," Shawn said, his jaw clenched.  
  
"You've been ordered to stay where you are," The Marine told him, before Sam could. Sam, of course, had only been partially lucid when Shawn and Jack had argued. It had been their voices raised in anger that had roused her from her stupor in the first place.  
  
"I'm well aware of that," Shawn said stiffly.  
  
"Hush, both of you." Sam was trying to listen. The combined teams were going to converge on the Gate room, and she wanted to hear.  
  
~*~  
  
Jack was at the solid door that led to the Gate Room, and he was watching the others to wait until they were in place. The dogs would go in first, and they would be taken to every corner of the room, just to make sure that nothing – or anyone – was there.  
  
The team leader all nodded their readiness, and O'Neill slid his entry card into the slot that cleared the door lock, and it swooshed open.  
  
Immediately, Jack's hackles were up, although he didn't snarl like Jaffer had. The other dogs were acting similarly agitated, although none of them were snarling. Something was different.  
  
"Turn them loose," Jack said, looking carefully into the room as the Marines let loose the dogs and Teal'c sent Jack into the room as well. The dogs all converged in the same spot just off to the left of the ramp. They all four had their heads down and were snuffling and growling, as if there was something on the floor there.  
  
"Cover me," Jack told Teal'c and the others as he walked cautiously into the room, looking around, holding his zat in one hand and his Beretta in the other. He walked over to stand next to Jack, who was clawing at something with one front paw, and O'Neill reached out with a foot, expecting to feel nothing but thin air. What he felt was a body. An invisible body that was lying on the floor.  
  
"I got one," Jack said, nudging a little harder with his foot. There was no motion, and no noise in response. "I think he's already dead." He obviously wasn't sleeping.  
  
He kicked again, this time as hard as he could, and when there still wasn't a response, O'Neill risked crouching down next to the body, feeling for an arm. Jack watched intently as O'Neill sorted out invisible body parts, and finally found what he was searching for. He grabbed the cool metal of the invisible weapon in the invisible hand, and pulled hard, jerking it out of the dead Ashrak's hand. As soon as the weapon cleared the affective area of the cloaking device, it became visible, and Jack saw that he was carrying another one of those wicked-looking force bolt guns. The whatchamacallits. Jack stood up, put his Beretta in the waist of his pants, and looked over at the others.  
  
"Call your dogs back."  
  
There were assorted commands, and the dogs all backed away from O'Neill, still watching the empty area carefully. They were all sight hounds, meaning they used their eyes for hunting more than they used their noses, but all four of the dogs knew there was something there they didn't like. Jack waited until the dogs were clear, then stepped back and aimed the zat at the seemingly empty space on the floor. And fired three times. When he reached out a moment later with his foot, he didn't feel anything.  
  
"Two down, and let's see how many more to go," he said, walking to the door, and waiting for it to close before he locked it down. 


	24. 24

Author's note: I looked the TER's up before I started the story. They can, indeed, reveal cloaked enemies, but only the Reetou. ('A Transphase Eradication Rod (TER) relies on the Reetou emissions that Goa'uld are sensitive to, in order to make the Reetou visible in our phase, and to terminate them' -I copied that from one of the episode guides-) Since the Ashrak aren't Reetou, I decided that they didn't have the Reetou emissions that the Goa'uld are sensitive to, and the TER's wouldn't work... Which is why I had to go with something else. (In the episode 'Fair Game', Nirrti was using Reetou technology to be invisible, which is why they could use the TER's to find her and capture her.)  
  
~*~  
  
They fanned out across the lowest level of the SGC, all the dogs being watched carefully by the teams that had them. O'Neill was now carrying the B'kedricti, and had handed the zat he'd had off to one of the Marines, who was using it as a back up weapon. O'Neill had seen the way Shawn held the weapon when he'd handed it over to the young man, so he knew – more or less – how to fire it. Well... more less than more, but he was a quick learner, and the thing had a trigger, which was all Jack needed to know.  
  
"Report," Jack said into his radio. He wanted constant flow of information between teams.  
  
"S-3. We've cleared two offices and locked them down. No sign of trouble"  
  
"S-2," Teal'c's deep voice replied. "We have met no resistance and have cleared two offices and a conference room."  
  
"S-4. We're cleared, no sign of them in the bathrooms, but we can't lock them down." Who ever put a locking mechanism on a bathroom door? "Orders?"  
  
"We'll have to leave them open, then. As long as the rest of the floor is cleared, we shouldn't-"  
  
O'Neill was interrupted by barking and snarling coming from an adjoining corridor, and the sound of yelling and zat fire.  
  
"S-1! This is S-4, we've got one! He's on our six!"  
  
Which told O'Neill and his team which direction to run to make contact without getting shot by their own friendly fire. Jack took off at a sprint down the corridor, followed closely by the rest of his team. As he ran, he called on his radio for the other teams to stay where they were, and close ranks a bit. He didn't want all his people in the same corridor shooting zats blindly. There was way too much risk of killing someone he didn't want dead.  
  
He turned the corner, and found chaos in the hall. The five Marines were all under cover in doorways, two in the doorway to the men's room they'd just cleared, two were under cover in the doorway to the women's room they'd just cleared, and the other was in the door way of a small office. This one had the dog, and the German shepherd made it clear where the men should be firing. Jaffer looked impressive when he'd been snarling, but it was nothing compared to the Military dog. The German shepherd looked twice as big with his hackles up, and the white fangs were clearly dangerous as he vocally warned the invisible assassin to stay back and not mess with him.  
  
A bolt came out of thin air when Jack turned the corner, and the Colonel dove to the floor, narrowly avoiding being struck. He landed hard, but he rolled immediately, unwilling to be any more of a target than necessary.  
  
"Watch out!" He called to his men, who were following. The Marines of S-4 had been waiting for the assassin to fire again, for an exact location, and when the bolt shot out at O'Neill, four zats answered with deadly accuracy. There was a thud, and another volley of zat fire, aimed lower, at the ground and the direction of the noise. The hall fell silent as the snarling of the German shepherd calmed into a low, confused growling. The same noise Jack and Jaffer had made after O'Neill had finished off the first assassin.  
  
"Do you think it's dead, Sir?" One of the Marines asked as Jack scurried into the bathroom doorway to gain some cover of his own.  
  
"Looks that way," Jack said, watching the dog. The German shepherd was calming down, even though it was still obviously alert.  
  
"Looks?"  
  
"Well, you know what I mean." Jack scowled, and sighed. There was really only one way to find out. "Cover me, just in case." He said, as he walked back into the hallway, and gestured for the guy with the dog to join him. Holding the B'kedricti in front of him, Jack and the dog and handler walked to the spot that Jack thought he'd heard the thud and he reached out carefully with his boot. Empty space.  
  
"Looks like you got one, guys," Jack said, reaching for his radio once more. "S-teams, this is S-1. S-4 has downed one of the Ashrak. Look alive, though. We don't know how many more there are, and I don't want any of you to get too cocky."  
  
Jack turned to the men. "Any injuries?"  
  
"No, Sir," The Major who was in charge of this group shook his head. "Soon as we turned the corner, Fang started going ballistic and we all dove for cover before it could do anything. You were right, Sir; he knew exactly where the guy was, even though we couldn't see it."  
  
"Fang?" Jack looked down at the German shepherd, who was still sniffing the area that had once held an assassin. As if aware that Jack was talking about him, the furry head rose up and intelligent brown eyes looked back at him. Jack remembered how impressed he'd been at the sight of the dog snarling, and nodded. "Fang sounds about right."  
  
"Yes, Sir." The Major agreed. "I was thinking that myself."  
  
"Okay, kids. If no one's hurt, let's get back to what we were doing. Three down, and how many left to go?" Jack looked at his watch, wondering how long it would be before Hammond could make it back with the Atarrii thingies. He could use all the help he could get.  
  
"Aye, aye, Sir."  
  
~*~  
  
As S-4 were killing their first assassin, Hammond was just pulling onto the driveway of the Adams' house. He got out of his car and walked up to the door, but didn't need to knock. Dotty James was already waiting for him. She didn't smile, but he knew it was only because of the seriousness of the situation.  
  
"General Hammond, it's a pleasure to see you again."  
  
"I wish it were under different circumstances, Mrs. Adams."  
  
"So do I." She handed him a metal case, about the size of a briefcase, and had him hold it so she could open it. Once she did, Hammond saw that it contained five objects that looked like soda cans. A little. They were glowing slightly, and held a metallic sheen that looked like nothing Hammond had ever seen before.  
  
Dotty held up one of them, and showed it to the General. "This will disable a cloaking device of any sort. It has a radius of 15 yards, and can be safely carried by humans, although I recommend whoever does the carrying wear leather gloves for protection against a slight radiation burn." She pointed to a small button at what would be the bottom of the can if the device were the soda can it resembled. "This will turn it off and on."  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Adams," Hammond said, gratefully. He was worried sick about his people, and knew something like this would be of great use to them, in the future as well.  
  
"You're welcome, General. Please, tell Jack and the others to be careful."  
  
"I'll tell them." It wouldn't help, but he'd tell them. "You're going to Shawn?"  
  
"Yes. I'll tell my husband and son I decided to come join them – even though I hate fishing. If Jack needs me, he knows my cell phone number."  
  
"Are you sure you don't need me to send any men-"  
  
"I don't need help, General." For the first time Dotty smiled, but it was a dangerous smile. "If anyone comes near Shawn with ill-intent, they will pay dearly."  
  
Hammond had no doubt she meant it, and he nodded.  
  
"I'd better get back to the SGC. Thank you again."  
  
"Good luck, General Hammond."  
  
She closed the door, but Hammond didn't see it; he was already heading for his car with the alien devices tucked safely in their case. 


	25. 25

"They're kicking ass," Shawn said a moment later in the infirmary. The young man was sitting on the edge of Sam's bed, next to Carter, who was also sitting up, even though her head was pounding and she was having trouble focusing her vision. Jaffer was lounging at the foot of the bed, still, and Fraiser seemed to have forgotten how annoyed she was about that, because the doctor had settled next to him and was idly running her fingers along the jet-black fur. Probably not even realizing she was doing it.  
  
"Colonel O'Neill's the best," The Marine said, as if that explained everything.  
  
"Yeah." Shawn nodded. He knew that.  
  
Sam was worried, but was hiding it. Yeah, Jack was the best. She knew he was good, and she counted on that, but she also knew that there was always a chance there would be someone better, and that some day Jack would run into that person. The added advantage of the Ashrak being invisible just made it that much worse, and she couldn't help but wish that she was out there with him, where she could keep him safe.  
  
She would have felt a little better if O'Neill had put himself on the same sweep team as Daniel and Teal'c. Sam knew Teal'c and Daniel would do anything to keep the Colonel safe – and had counted on that so many times in the past. This time, though, Jack was on his own, and it worried her. Teal'c would protect Daniel – as Jack had known when he teamed the Archeologist up with the Jaffa, but who was going to watch O'Neill?  
  
"Damn it."  
  
Everyone turned and looked at her, and Sam realized she'd spoken aloud. She shook her head, and was about to say something, when Jaffer's head suddenly came up, and his gaze went to the door.  
  
Shawn was off the bed in an instant, the muzzle of the B'kedricti coming up and pointing at the door, while the Marine did the same with the zat he was holding. Fraiser moved off the bed and out of the line of fire, and Sam snapped her fingers at the Marine, and gestured for him to hand over his Beretta, which he did instantly.  
  
Jaffer crouched low on the bed, his gaze intent on the door and the hackles on his back slowly coming up as he tried to sort out whatever noise he'd heard or whatever scent he'd smelled. Sam's gaze went from the door to the dog and back to the door again, knowing that he'd know someone – or something – was coming through it before the thing even opened. Jaffer gave a low growl, almost inaudible, but Carter could feel the rumbling through the bed and she tightened her grip on the weapon she held.  
  
They stayed that way for almost a full minute, everyone in the room watching the door, and everyone expecting it to open any moment, heralding the beginning of a firefight. It didn't happen, though. The door never opened, and even though Jaffer kept up his low warning growls, the threat never showed its face. A few moments later, the growls stopped, and the hackles began to sink back into his fur, although his gaze never left the door.  
  
Sam picked up the radio, and keyed it.  
  
"Colonel? This is Carter in the infirmary. I'd say there's a good chance at least one of your targets is somewhere in this area."  
  
"Are you secure?" Meaning 'are you okay'?  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"We'll be there shortly. O'Neill out."  
  
~*~  
  
As much as he wanted to, Jack couldn't drop everything and run to the infirmary to stand guard over Sam and Shawn. They were as safe as he could get them, and he had a job to do. Besides, he knew that if he did, he'd likely draw more attention to them, and possibly put them in danger.  
  
"Infirmary, Sir?" One of the men on his team asked him as Jack finished the conversation with Carter.  
  
"Negative. We've got to finish what we're doing here, first." Jack motioned for S-4 to continue their sweep, and then moved with his men back into the corridor they'd started in.  
  
"S-2, S-3 and S-5, continue your sweeps, and keep me-"  
  
A bolt of light shot out from nowhere, and struck the Marine next to Jack full in the chest. The man went down in a heap, and Jack's team scattered for cover, Jack and one of the other Marines pulling the downed man with them into a doorway. Another bolt was fired, this one hitting the wall right above O'Neill's head, and Jack brought the B'kedricti up and pressed the trigger. There was a tremendous energy surge that Jack could feel through the metal of the weapon – even though it didn't hurt him – and a bolt shot out from the barrel back in the direction the attack had come from. Figuring there was no way he'd hit the assassin, Jack fired again, this time a little lower, wishing he had an automatic version of this thing that would spray bolts in every direction. THAT was a weapon he'd have paid good money for.  
  
"O'Neill? Are you all right?" Teal'c's voice came over the radio in response to Jack's interrupted orders.  
  
"No, we're under fire! S-2, bring in your team and see if you can give us a hand. Everyone else, stay with your teams and keep your eyes open!"  
  
One of Jack's Marines fired his zat in the same general direction as O'Neill had fired, just in case. With an invisible assailant, it was pretty much a matter of hoping you'd get lucky. There was a sudden snarl behind O'Neill, and he looked and saw that Jack had arrived. The yellow lab was facing the same area that they were pretty sure the assassin was in, but it was good to have confirmation. Jack didn't stop to say hello; O'Neill's yellow namesake launched himself down the corridor, ignoring Teal'c's yell for him to return, and Jack and his Marines laid down a cover fire for the dog, making sure to aim high enough to avoid hitting him. Personal feelings for the lab aside, Jack and the other dogs were worth their weight in gold at that moment, and there was no way they could afford to accidentally kill one.  
  
"Get him, Jack!" O'Neill yelled, standing up with his B'kedricti facing the same way as the dog. It was a reckless move, but one that was necessary. They had to get the assassin's attention off the dog, and by presenting himself as a target; O'Neill knew he'd draw the fire, and not Jack.  
  
With a snarl, Jack jumped at the assassin. The lab couldn't see what he was attacking, but he knew it was there, and he knew it was bad. It was enough for him. As a bolt of energy shot at O'Neill, the dog's fangs clamped down on something invisible, and the momentum of the attack made the shot go wild. The energy bolt slammed into the ceiling, and O'Neill launched himself at the assassin as well, barreling into the invisible man full speed and knocking them all three to the ground.  
  
Avoiding flashing fangs as well as he could, the Colonel grappled with the invisible man, wrestling with him as he tried to figure out what he was holding so he'd know where to grab next. He was going to try to strangle the man, since he was way to close to fire at him, and he didn't have a knife on him.  
  
Pain lanced along O'Neill's forearm, and he yelped, even as Teal'c joined the fray. The big Jaffa threw himself into the fight eagerly, his weight pinning the assassin down as Jack slashed at the invisible assailant, teeth catching armor, mostly, but every now and then something soft and less resisting. Blood was flowing freely, and not all of it was Jack O'Neill's.  
  
"Get clear!" Daniel shouted, coming over with his zat. O'Neill rolled off the invisible lump, wrapping his arms around Jack's big furry body as he did so, and pulled the yellow lab off with him. Teal'c waited a moment longer, one hand holding invisible cloth tightly to hold the assassin in place while the other was punching him repeatedly, doing damage even though he wasn't positive he was hitting anything too tender.  
  
When he saw that O'Neill and Jack were both clear, Teal'c rolled off as well, in the other direction. Immediately, Daniel fired his weapon. Once, and then twice.  
  
"Wait!" Jack reached out with his foot, making sure the lump was still there, and hadn't managed to escape. It wasn't so easy to do, since Jack was struggling in his grasp, snarling and trying to get free to continue his attack. Jack held him tightly, though, and when he felt the lump still there, he moved out of the way again.  
  
"Okay, do it!"  
  
The third shot from the zat struck the same place, and Teal'c reached out his foot this time. He didn't feel anything.  
  
"He is gone, O'Neill." 


	26. 26

Author's note: Sorry about the slow updates, I'm really sick and am having trouble dragging myself out of bed to much of anything... BUT I'm going to put out at least two chapters tonight, to make up for it.. then maybe I'll go collapse back in bed  
  
~*~  
  
O'Neill let Jack go, and the lab launched himself back at the place the assassin had been, but the snarls were gone, and the hackles were already coming down on the dog's back. Jack lay still a moment, catching his breath, and looked at his forearm, which was bleeding from a ragged gash about seven inches long.  
  
"Are you injured badly, O'Neill?"  
  
"Your dog bit me, I think." Jack told the Jaffa, raising his uninjured arm so Teal'c could help him up off the floor.  
  
"He has had all his shots."  
  
"It doesn't make it hurt any less," Jack complained half-heartedly. Yeah it hurt, but it could have been much worse, and he knew it. They owed Jack a lot. O'Neill reached down and slapped the yellow lab affectionately, noticing he'd smeared blood all over the dog when he'd been holding him away from the struggle, then walked over to where the rest of his team was gathered around the fallen Marine.  
  
"Report."  
  
"He's out cold, Sir," One of his men reported.  
  
"But he's alive?"  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
Daniel handed Jack his handkerchief and O'Neill wrapped it around his bleeding forearm tightly, thinking.  
  
"Teal'c, you and your team take Sergeant Brady to the infirmary, then get back as quickly as you can."  
  
Originally, Jack had planned for his team to take the injured to the infirmary, but since Sam had told them there was possibly an assassin in that area, Teal'c and his men would have a better chance to detect one, since they had Jack. O'Neill and his team would be fairly vulnerable, and with no backup close at hand.  
  
"What about you?" Daniel asked, pointing at Jack's forearm.  
  
"It's nothing, and Fraiser would insist on keeping me there." As much as he wanted to stick close to the infirmary, he couldn't. "Make sure the area is secure before you leave, though."  
  
"We will."  
  
"Good." Jack looked at the remaining two Marines in his team, making sure neither of them was injured. They weren't; they were ready and eager to go. "Let's move out."  
  
They went back towards the corridor, and Teal'c motioned two of his men to pick up the injured Marine and his team headed for the infirmary, eyes open and weapons ready, following the crimson-smeared yellow lab.  
  
~*~  
  
"All right, kids," Jack's voice came over the radio a moment later. "S-3, S- 4, and S-5, we're on our own for a bit, so keep your eyes on your dogs and watch each other's backs. Move out."  
  
"What do you think happened?" Fraiser asked the others in the infirmary.  
  
"Best bet; someone got hurt and S-2 is bringing them here." Shawn answered. Sam nodded her agreement. It wasn't Jack, she knew, but it could be Teal'c or Daniel. That might be why S-2 was bringing them in instead of Jack's team.  
  
"Well, if that's the case, I'd better get ready."  
  
Fraiser cleared the curtain of the bed next to the one Sam was still sitting on – with Jaffer – and made sure that she had all the equipment she might need in case someone was hurt.  
  
It was less than five minutes later when Jaffer's head came up again and his tail began wagging gently. It wasn't the excited wagging that meant O'Neill was coming, but it was obvious to the humans in the room that someone was coming that the lab knew and liked. A moment later there was a soft knock at the door, and then it opened. Two Marines walked in carrying another as Teal'c and the rest of S-2 stood guard against an attack. When none came, the rest of the group walked into the infirmary as well, and the big Jaffa closed the door firmly behind him.  
  
"Put him here," Fraiser told the Marines, pointing at the empty bed. As they complied, Jack walked over to the bed Jaffer was on, and jumped up beside his brother, sniffing the black lab as Jaffer returned the favor and sniffed the blood that stained the blonde fur. Carter noticed the bloodstains as well, and pulled the yellow lab closer, looking him over in concern.  
  
"Is he hurt, Teal'c?" She asked. He didn't look like he was hurting, and there was a lot of blood.  
  
"Do not concern yourself, Major Carter," The Jaffa said, walking over to the bed and rubbing the yellow lab's ears fondly – a rare show of affection that was reserved almost exclusively for his dog and the members of SG-1. Jaffer moved close to get his own share of attention. "It is Jack O'Neill's blood."  
  
Sam's eyes widened at this announcement. THAT was supposed to make her feel better?  
  
"Is he all right?" Shawn asked, looking just as worried.  
  
"He's fine," Daniel said quickly. "We think Jack accidentally bit him."  
  
"Bit him?"  
  
"Well... slashed his forearm wide open," Daniel admitted. "But he's okay."  
  
Sam didn't look convinced, but there wasn't much more Daniel could say to reassure her. He tried, though.  
  
"Things got a little hairy for a minute there. Jack and Jack took on one of the Ashrak hand-to-hand... to tooth. But they won. With a little help from Teal'c and a zat."  
  
"We must return to our sweep," Teal'c said, gesturing for Jack to rejoin him. Sam gave the yellow lab a final affectionate pat, then held Jaffer's collar to keep the black lab from jumping off the bed and following Jack when the dog jumped down and joined Teal'c and Daniel and the rest of S-2. "We will secure this area before we return to the others, but keep the door closed."  
  
"You want some help?" Shawn asked eagerly.  
  
"No." Teal'c didn't leave any room for argument, and he didn't give Shawn a chance to complain about being left behind. He knew the reason Shawn was in the infirmary with Carter, and he wasn't going to put O'Neill's son in any more jeopardy than necessary. Without looking back, Teal'c opened the door, looked down at Jack to make sure there wasn't anyone invisible lurking outside, then led his team out of the room to finish what they were doing. 


	27. 27

Author's Note: Bah! I can't find anything that tells me what level the infirmary is on... I'm going to assume (and if I'm wrong, then I'm wrong) that it's on a level close to the gate room, because I can't imagine they'd want to have to run dying people all over the SGC to get them to Fraiser. So, with that in mind, the infirmary in my little world is on level 27... (if I'm wrong and someone else knows, I don't want to know, because then I will have to change everything that happens from here on out, and I'm too sick to want to do that – and maybe a little too lazy, too)  
  
~*~  
  
"I could help," Shawn muttered darkly as he watched the door close behind Teal'c and the others. Fraiser and the Marine both ignored the young man. The doctor was checking the stats on the injured man S-2 had brought in and the Marine was helping her, since the guy was friend and he was concerned.  
  
"You're hurt, Shawn," Sam told him. She understood how he felt, but she also knew that the young man wouldn't be as much help as he thought he could be. He was moving slowly, and that would hinder any team, and put others in danger if they had to cover him.  
  
"I'm not that hurt, Sam," Shawn said. "I hardly hurt at all. And I'm as good a shot as anyone here." Of course he was; Jack and Teal'c had been his instructors, along with countless Jaffa and Marines as he'd been growing up. None of them knew that, of course, since he was a boy in this time. They were all underestimating him because of that. It was driving Shawn crazy that they all thought he needed to be kept out of the way.  
  
"A good shot won't help if you can't see what you're shooting at."  
  
"The sweep teams can't see any of them, and they've killed 3 so far."  
  
"With the help of dogs and team work."  
  
"They should let me on one of the teams." He looked down at the weapon he was holding. It was wasted here in this room where things were safe. It should be out where the action was, where the armor piercing capabilities could be put to use.  
  
~*~  
  
"S-1, this is S-2, we are back on this level again, and are resuming our sweep."  
  
"Roger, S-2." Jack gestured for the men with him to cover each other as they turned a corner. "S-3 and S-4 have cleared the final rooms of this level, and we're heading for 27. Copy?"  
  
"Indeed. We will meet you and the others at the stairs." The elevators were all locked down, and no one could use them unless they had a passcard. Jack, personally, didn't want to be a target by using an elevator anyways, and it was a very bad idea to crowd his men all together in an elevator. Bad enough they were going to have to do that in the stairwells, but they'd at least have a dog or two in the lead to let them know there was no ambush.  
  
"Roger."  
  
~*~  
  
"Corporal, get me the Sergeant of the Guard, now."  
  
"Aye, aye, Sir!"  
  
Hammond waited for only a moment before an older man came trotting up to the guard shack he was responsible for. He saluted – Marines don't normally salute indoors unless they are under arms, but the Sergeant was carrying a side arm and a rifle, so he was definitely under arms – and Hammond returned it.  
  
"Report, Sergeant."  
  
"Colonel O'Neill's divided the Marines under his command into five teams, Sir. Designated as S-1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. O'Neill is commander of S-1, and the other four teams have one dog each. They've cleared the lowest level and are beginning to work their way up. The base is sealed against any of the infiltrators escaping, although the Colonel says they're invisible, so we don't know if anyone got out before we sealed things down. We do know no one has left since. They've killed 3 of the intruders, but we don't know how many of our guys have been hit, Sir. All we have to go by is radio chatter." He gestured to the radio on his belt.  
  
"Let me see that."  
  
He took the radio the Sergeant gave him, and keyed it.  
  
"S-1? This is General Hammond. What's your position?"  
  
"Welcome back, Sir." O'Neill's voice was tense, but nothing more, which told Hammond that so far Jack hadn't lost any of his men, and that he felt he had things at least marginally in control. "We're just sealing down level 28, and getting ready to go to 27."  
  
"Roger that. I have something you could use, Colonel. Do you want to send someone up for it? Or shall I send someone down?"  
  
There was a hesitation as Jack obviously was taking stock of which would be safer for all parties involved. "I'll send someone up, Sir."  
  
"We'll meet them at the main stairwell, Colonel."  
  
"We'll bring the cake, Sir."  
  
"Hammond out."  
  
"S-1 out."  
  
~*~  
  
"Teal'c! You hear that?" O'Neill saw a flash of blonde and knew that Jack was close at hand and that Teal'c and S-2 had joined him and the other sweep teams.  
  
"Yes, O'Neill."  
  
"Take your team up and get whatever it is, then get your asses back down here and we'll see about finishing these guys off."  
  
"We shall be back shortly, O'Neill." The Jaffa looked down at Jack. "Shall I leave Jack with you?"  
  
"No! Someone might have overheard us, and might try to get in the way and stop you... you'll need him more than I will."  
  
Teal'c nodded, and led his team to the stairs, Jack going through first, and the others following. O'Neill and the other sweep teams took one more look at the dogs, making sure nothing was coming through the stairwell door that S-2 had left open, then they went through it, and closed and sealed it behind them. Level 28 was effectively cleared, and nothing would get into it again until the rest Walter Davis in the Command Center heard that all was cleared from O'Neill or Hammond, and released all the controls on the locked doors.  
  
~*~  
  
Hammond opened up the metal case he was carrying and pulled out one of the soda can-looking devices that Dotty Adams had given him. Turning it over, he pressed the almost invisible button on the bottom and then watched to see if anything happened. Nothing did. Shrugging to himself, he closed the case and carried the case and the device over to the main entrance to the SGC.  
  
"This thing is supposed to make the Ashrak visible," Hammond told the Marines and Air Force personnel around him. "I need two volunteers to take the remaining devices to the top of the West stairwell and hand them over to the sweep team that comes to get them."  
  
Immediately, he had more volunteers than he needed and Hammond chose two. He explained how the devices were turned on and told them to tell pass it on to the others. He also told the men to pass to O'Neill that the device had a range of only 15 yards. They nodded, and one took the case, while the other checked to make sure his rifle and pistol were both ready to be fired. Then they headed into the base to wait at the stairs.  
  
Hammond set the device he had down on the floor at the entrance. They didn't need 15 yards up here, and now they'd know if anyone tried to escape.  
  
"Keep an eye on things," The General said to the Marines that were guarding the main entrance. All the other entrances were sealed, so if anything was going to try and escape, it'd try to escape this way.  
  
"We will, Sir." Their voices were like Jack O'Neill's. Tense, but steady and self-confident.  
  
Hammond nodded, and didn't bother to give them any other orders. They knew their job, and he knew he could rely on them. With a radio in hand so he could hear what was going on, Hammond walked back to the guard shack. 


	28. 28

"Sir, let me go first."  
  
Jack nodded to the Marine that had spoken and moved aside. The man was one of the dog handlers, and jack was more than willing to allow them ahead of him on the stairs. It made O'Neill nervous to be enclosed like this. Not that he was claustrophobic, but the stairwells made ideal places for ambushes, and he hated being set up for an ambush. The fact that Jack had passed through only moments before with Teal'c and hadn't so much as growled made O'Neill a little more secure, but no less wary.  
  
The German shepherd led the way up the stairs, pulling at his leash impatiently. The dogs were all excited and nervous – picking up the emotions of the people around them – and they were anxious to get on with whatever they were supposed to be doing.  
  
"When we get through the door, we'll have to leave it open for Teal'c and his team to come back down," Jack said as he walked up the stairs. He made sure everyone could hear him before issuing his orders. "I want S-5 to stay at the door, and keep it secured so no one we don't know can come down from a higher level and backtrack on us. I'm sure you all heard Major Carter telling me over the radio that she thought there was at least one of them on this level, and we have no reason to believe that she's wrong, so keep an eye on the dogs."  
  
There were nods all around. Jack knew he was repeating himself, but he couldn't express his concern enough. He wanted his people to come out of this alive. No one was expendable to him.  
  
"S-3, you'll go towards the left corridor. S-4, you'll take the right. My team will be in the middle where we can back up either of you." Of course, his team was now consisting of him and only two Marines, but that was still three more weapons in the event of trouble.  
  
More nods as the first dog reached the door to level 27.  
  
"Everyone ready?" Jack asked, looking down at them. Their faces were tense, but their weapons were all held in hands that were steady and unwavering. They nodded, and Jack turned and looked at the dog handler and nodded, as well. "Open it up."  
  
The door opened, and the German shepherd went out first, his nose up in the air, sniffing. His hackles started to rise, but he didn't snarl like the dogs tended to do when the assassins were close. Jack led the rest of the men and women out of the stairwell, and motioned S-5 to stay put, and gestured for the others to take their positions. The center corridor would eventually bring him and his team to the infirmary, and he'd decide then whether to clear everyone out or lock it down with the people still in it.  
  
He silently pointed to the dogs; all of which had their hackles up, but were otherwise relatively calm, silently warning them that danger was probably close. The others all nodded as they went to their assigned spots, and taking a deep breath, Jack led his group down the corridor, ears listening for the killers his eyes wouldn't see until it was too late.  
  
~*~  
  
Five minutes after General Hammond left the Adams house, Dotty Adams appeared on the porch of the cabin she and her husband owned up on Bear Lake. Even in the dark, she could see the boat floating on the water where it was tied up at the small dock, and she knew it was late enough that both Shawn and James would be sound asleep. Her husband would ask her in the morning how she arrived that evening without a car and she'd tell him she'd had someone – perhaps Jack O'Neill – drive her up so she would be able to drive home with them instead of in her car. For the moment, though, the woman went for a walk.  
  
She silently walked around the small building, her eyes not missing anything in the darkness, and her sharp ears catching every noise that was made in the vicinity. The woods were fairly quiet, as was normal up in the mountains where nocturnal animals were far outnumbered by the ones that roamed during the day, but she could hear the silent shushing of something walking in the distance.  
  
She held still, her eyes turned towards the noise as it grew closer. Covered by the darkness of the building, and standing as still as the night, the assassin didn't see Dotty as he walked up. She saw him, though, even through his cloaking device. She waited, however, wanting to see how many of them there were before she made her move.  
  
Another came behind the first, and then another, until there were five all told. Dotty stepped out of the shadows as the first came within the area she'd decided was as close as she'd allow them to get to the cabin.  
  
She held up her hand, and uttered a word. A device attached to her palm glowed softly, and there was a low groan from the first Ashrak as he felt a sudden vibration in every cell in his body. Before he knew what had killed him, the vibrations became frequent and violent, and every soft tissue cell in his body exploded as the cellular walls burst from the vibrations, unable to contain their form. His skin held the mess internally, but the assassin crumbled to the ground, nothing more than a skin bag full of goo.  
  
The other four stopped in their tracks at the sight of the woman – a human woman as near as they could tell – holding her hand at them as if she knew precisely where they were. They hadn't missed the downing of their companion, and all of them pointed their weapons at her. Dotty decided she only needed one alive, and she chose quickly. Without a word to any of them, she turned her other palm outwards towards the group, and as a shield formed around the one in the very back of the group, the other three exploded. Messily. Gore and pieces of what was only a moment ago three very capable assassins flew in every direction, spattering the ground around the woman and the shield protecting the fifth assassin, but not touching Dotty Adams.  
  
"What are you?!" The Ashrak shrieked, terrified. He was still holding his weapon, but the hand that was holding it was attached to a brain that was frozen in shock at what he'd just witnessed. Not to mention something was holding him immobilized, so he couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to.  
  
"A concerned mother," Dotty told him, answering in his own language, which also made his eyes widen in shock. "What is your objective?"  
  
"I'm not telling yo-"He screamed as he felt a sharp pain lancing his upper thigh. He didn't know where the pain was coming from, but he knew WHO was causing it. She let him scream for a moment, and then eased the pain.  
  
"What is your objective?"  
  
"We're supposed to kill the boy! Or kill the man he's become! Either one! Both are here, in this time!"  
  
"Who sent you?" Her voice was deadly calm, but her eyes were flashing anger.  
  
The assassin didn't even think of telling her he wasn't going to say anything. He was ready to spill his guts, as long as she didn't do it for him.  
  
"Tralan! The last of the System Lords! He's hired all of us! We're supposed to kill the one called Shawn Adams!"  
  
"How did you get here? To this time?"  
  
"We were waiting for them to open the Gate. We were going to come into the Tauri Gate room invisible, along with the SG-1 team, infiltrate the entire SGC and kill everyone – not just the target - but it didn't go right, and there was an explosion. There were many of us waiting at the Gate to go through when SG-1 did, but the explosion changed the Gate somehow and we were sent here with the target. All of us were knocked unconscious – one was killed, but when we came to, we found we were where we were supposed to be, just not in the right time. So we decided that some would go for the boy, and others would attack the man."  
  
"How many of you are there?"  
  
He hesitated, and felt the stabbing pain again. This time it was immediate, and it was in his groin. He would have fallen to the ground in a heap if she didn't have him in an invisible grip of some sort, keeping him on his feet.  
  
"Twelve! There's twelve!"  
  
"How many more up here?"  
  
"None! I swear!"  
  
"And at the SGC?"  
  
"There were seven! One was dead at the Stargate, though."  
  
Dotty couldn't do more to help the people at the SGC than she already had. She had to trust Jack O'Neill as she always had. He'd do whatever he needed to do to keep Shawn alive, and she knew it. She looked at the assassin in disgust, and killed him in the same manner as she'd killed the first one, by imploding his cellular walls. Then, with a sweeping motion of her left hand, she cleaned the mess that had been made. In a similar way that a zat makes things disappear if they're hit three times with the beam, Dotty Adams made all the goo and gore and dead bodies vanish.  
  
Looking around once more, but fairly certain she could believe the word of the terrified assassin, she walked back to the porch and went inside the small cabin. She saw her husband sleeping on the sofa, and smiled tenderly. James was a good man, who had no idea what his wife was capable of – something she didn't intend to change. She went into Shawn's little room and found him sprawled on his bed, legs and arms everywhere, and his head buried under his pillow, even though the rest of him wasn't covered at all.  
  
She pulled the blanket and sheet out from under him and gently covered him back up, then leaned over and raised the pillow just for a moment so she could kiss his soft cheek. He rolled over in his sleep – maybe in reaction to the touch, or maybe just to get more comfortable – and Dotty saw the gleam of metal from the dog tags her son wore almost constantly. A set of Jack's dog tags, she knew. She smiled softly, and tucked the blankets around their son, then left the room and went to join her husband. 


	29. 29

Author's Note: I admit I don't know a lot about the Ancients, but I figured Dotty has some pretty cool technology at her disposal, and that there's nothing that says the Ancients are a pacifist race of people. Only that they're good folks. I figure someone that advanced has to have some pretty nasty ways of killing folks, and that a mother protecting her son from something as violent as an Ashrak (or four or five) would be willing to use anything!  
  
~*~  
  
"They're on this level," Carter said, getting off the bed and going over to check on Janet's wounded Marine. The man was still out, but according to the doctor he was going to be fine.  
  
Shawn looked at Jaffer, who was still on the bed. The dog had watched Sam move, but as soon as he decided she wasn't leaving the room – or his sight – he turned his attention back to the door, where it had been since Teal'c and the others had left. Almost as if the black lab expected trouble. Or maybe he was just picking up Shawn's own tenseness. It was always a possibility.  
  
"Think they'll want to move us up to the surface, or will he keep us here under lockdown?" Fraiser asked.  
  
"I'm not sure. It depends on what Hammond brought, probably, and how much trouble it would be one way or the other."  
  
"Will it be safe to move him?" Sam asked, gesturing to the unconscious man.  
  
"Yes, he's stable. It's probably no worse than the hit you took. He'll have a nasty headache when he wakes up."  
  
"How's your head, Sam?" Shawn asked, turning from Jaffer to look at her, remembering that she was hurt and shouldn't be out of bed.  
  
"Sore. Not much worse than a hangover."  
  
"The B'kedricti pack a nasty wallop, but if they're not on the highest settings, they don't always kill. Many of the Ashrak are hired to bring back living captives."  
  
"Let's just hope they're trying to catch us alive, huh?" Sam said.  
  
Shawn didn't look hopeful, but he shrugged and played along, knowing she didn't think too much of those chances, either.  
  
~*~  
  
The squeaking hinge on the door was all that saved Jack and his team. They'd just separated from the other two teams and had started down the hall, carefully watching all around them, when a slight noise drew Jack's attention to the first door in the hall. His men, ever watchful of what they're commanding officer was doing, turned to look where he was looking, and they all saw the door opening so slowly they might not have noticed at all if not for the creaking noise.  
  
"Down!" O'Neill dove one direction and his men went the other. The bolt of energy struck the wall right behind where they'd been standing. Jack rolled as he fell and turned the B'kedricti in his hand towards the open doorway, but even as he fired he knew the assassin could be anywhere – inside the room, or out in the hall.  
  
Another bolt of energy shot out at him, this time from the middle of the hall, and Jack tried to dodge it as well by rolling once more – this time towards his men. The shot was a lousy one, but it was also extremely lucky, and it hit the back of the hand that was holding the alien weapon. With a yelp as he felt a jolt of electricity shoot through his arm, Jack dropped the B'kedricti and it fell to the concrete floor with a clatter.  
  
Covering him, the Marines returned fire, but the assassin was smart enough to not stay in the same spot. O'Neill thought he felt something brush past his foot as he scrambled to get out of the way of another shot, and he fired off the Beretta that was still in his left hand, emptying the clip into the open hallway and scattering the bullets randomly, just hoping to get lucky. Which he doubted.  
  
"Damn it!"  
  
He lunged back into the hallway and grabbed up the B'kedricti in his hand – which was still numb from the jolt of energy – and swore again. It was bad enough they were getting shot at, but being shot at by someone you couldn't see (And therefore couldn't shoot back at) was just no fun at all!  
  
"Are you all right, Sir?" One of the Marines asked, coming up to stand beside Jack as the other one covered him.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then where's the blood coming from?"  
  
Jack followed the man's gaze to the floor and saw that there were, indeed, a couple of drops of blood on the floor. Crimson against the gray of the concrete.  
  
Jack's foot reached out and the toe of his boot smeared the blood. It was fresh.  
  
"You must have got him, Sir."  
  
"Huh..." O'Neill looked over and saw another couple of drops. He gestured to it. There was enough to be a trail. Which was good enough for Jack. "Blood trail." O'Neill handed the B'kedricti to the Marine and reloaded his Beretta really quick, then took the other weapon back. "Let's see where our wounded friend is going, shall we?"  
  
Leading the way, with both weapons held in front of him, Jack started down the hall once more.  
  
~*~  
  
"The General said you turn it on with this button here, Sir," The Corporal told Teal'c. He and the rest of S-2 had made record time running up the stairs. With Jack able to warn them if they were in any danger, and the yellow lab quiet the entire way, they'd decided that haste was more important than caution, and had sprinted. No easy feat when you consider that they'd started on the 27th level. His men were panting, and so was Jack, but they were doing it quietly so Teal'c could get instructions on how to make the enemy visible. "They also have a range of 15 yards."  
  
He nodded, and handed one of each of the devices to the men in his team. There were four devices and four of them so it worked well. The men turned theirs on, and waited for instructions, feeling a bit better knowing that they had a way to see their enemy, now.  
  
"Tell General Hammond the sweep teams are on level 27 and are working their way up. We shall stay in contact with him as much as we can."  
  
"Aye, aye, Sir."  
  
Teal'c gathered his team. Now that they had devices that could counteract the advantage the Ashrak had over them, he was ready to split his group up. There were two sets of stairs that led – indirectly – down to the lower levels of the base. These weren't really for personnel, they were for maintenance crews to have access, but Teal'c knew of them because he'd asked a long time ago about any possible ways in and out of the base, and O'Neill had showed him.  
  
The Jaffa sent three of his Marines – with three of the devices – down the east stairwell. The one they'd just come running up. He was going to take Jack and one Marine – carrying the remaining device – down the maintenance stairs where they would be able to cover more area than if they were all grouped together. And hopefully, they'd get the remaining Ashrak in a crossfire once they could see them, and simply mow them down with zats and his staff weapon.  
  
"We are returning, O'Neill," Teal'c said into his radio, his voice jut as deep and solid as it always was.  
  
There was a slight pause, then O'Neill's voice answered.  
  
"Roger that, S-2. We left the welcome mat out." Meaning the door they'd left through was still open, and was being covered by friendlies. 


	30. 30

"There's some here, Sir."  
  
Just as the Marine said it, a bolt of energy shot out and struck the young man, hitting him in the shoulder and knocking him to the floor. Jack and the remaining Marine both fired in the vicinity of the shot, and dove for cover, dragging the downed man with them. Neither was willing to allow one of his own to be left in the open defenseless, even though it meant that O'Neill had to drop his Beretta to grab the man's jacket and help pull him clear. Jack covered the Marine while he made sure the injured man was still breathing – which he was.  
  
"Infirmary, Sir?"  
  
"Hold on."  
  
Jack reached for his radio.  
  
"Carter?"  
  
She answered immediately.  
  
"Yes, Sir?"  
  
"How's Brady?"  
  
"He's still out, Sir, but Doctor Fraiser said he'll be fine when he wakes up."  
  
"Roger. S-1 out."  
  
He looked down at the Marine, then over at the last man left from his original team. "We can't take him to the infirmary without back up, and we're running out of back up. Brady was hit by the same weapon and is just unconscious, we'll leave him in a secured room, and lock it behind us and come back for him."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"S-3, clear your six and rendezvous on my position. I need a dog."  
  
"On our way, Sir."  
  
Jack was well aware they were getting close to the infirmary, but he didn't want to lead any of the Ashrak to the room if he could avoid it. Not only were Sam and Shawn there, but there was also the fact that with one of his men out, it wouldn't be easy to evacuate them if they needed to move fast. Shawn was moving slow, Sam was hurt, and Fraiser only had one alert Marine to help her if they needed to move. That wasn't enough. Better to get the dogs and secure what they could, and hope Teal'c and his group returned soon with the Atarii things.  
  
He stuck his head carefully out of the doorway, looking at the automatic that was sitting on the hallway floor. He needed that gun. Not that he didn't have his Alien weapon, but Jack trusted his Beretta. You never knew when the charge on the laser gun might dry up. You always knew when you were out of bullets. Besides, Jack didn't have a clue how to reload the B'kedricti.  
  
"Cover me."  
  
The Marine nodded, and took up a position right behind Jack. The two of them were facing down the hallway the same direction, assuming that the Ashrak didn't sneak past them while they'd been in the doorway. The Marine fired his zat down the corridor blindly, and Jack dove for his Beretta, grabbing up the cool metal and scuttling the rest of the way across the hall. He didn't draw any fire, and both he and the Marine on the other side of the hall looked at each other, wondering if their man was gone, or just playing cat and mouse with them.  
  
Jack stuck his head out into the hall again, looking for any sign of blood that might give them a hint about the whereabouts of their assassin. He saw a couple of drops, but was certain that was the blood the Marine had seen before he'd been shot down. He pulled his head back in, unwilling to make more of a target than he had to, and did it just in time, since another bolt of energy hit the wall right where he'd been.  
  
"Bastard."  
  
The Marine looked over at him. Neither man had seen where the shot had come from, so they didn't know where to shoot back. Jack set the B'kedricti down and cocked the Beretta, then motioned for the man across the hall to do the same with his own automatic. Nodding, the Marine pulled out his side arm and cocked it, then waited for O'Neill's signal. At his nod, the two men opened up, firing randomly down the hall and scattering bullets left and right and to all points in between. If nothing else, it would send their assailant moving and clear the area until S-3 showed up with their dog.  
  
~*~  
  
The gunshots were loud, and everyone in the infirmary knew they were coming from SGC personnel. They just didn't know who, and they didn't know exactly where. Jaffer whined softly from his position on the bed. The black lab wasn't a stranger to the sound of gunfire, but he could sense the added tension in the room, and he didn't like it. He also didn't like not being with Jack, who had been gone far too long as far as he was concerned.  
  
"Easy, Jaffer," Sam crooned, holding the Beretta in one hand and running a hand along the dog's jet colored flank with the other. Jaffer licked her hand once, then turned his attention back to the door, where Shawn was standing, holding the B'kedricti easily, even though he was leaning heavily against the wall by the door.  
  
"I should be out helping them," Shawn said, looking back at Sam. "Not holed up like this being protected like some kind of child."  
  
Fraiser had had enough of the young man's whining. She and the Marine that had helped carry Sam into the infirmary had both listened to the orders O'Neill had given him, and she knew they'd made sense then, and still did, and she was tired of listening to him questioning them. Even more sick of the petulance in his voice. She rounded on Shawn, her eyes flashing angrily.  
  
"Shawn Lincoln Adams, if you don't stop your bitching this minute, I'm going to muzzle you. You are an officer in the USAF, and you've been given a direct order by a superior officer. That order did NOT include whining, or bitching, or moping, and I don't know how they do things in your time, but in this here and now when we've been given an order, we're not given the choice of debating it, we do what we're told to the best of our ability. Colonel O'Neill has placed you here because you're injured. Whether you think you are or not. Since you'd be nothing but a liability to him and the other men and women out there with him, he's put you where you can best be of use, and that is helping me. Helping me, God damn you, does not include giving Major Carter, Sergeant Roberts and myself headaches. Do you understand?"  
  
The shock on his face would have been humorous in any other circumstance. Carter looked at Janet in surprise as well. Not because she'd finally chewed the boy out, but because she'd done such a good job of it. It was a first class ass-chewing, and Sam knew Jack would have been impressed.  
  
"I-"  
  
"You will continue to guard the door, Lieutenant Colonel, like you were told to. You will keep your mouth closed unless someone asks you a question, and if you fail to comply with my orders in my infirmary, I'll make what that B'kedricti thing in your hand did to you seem like a tiptoe through the tulips. Do you understand?"  
  
"Doctor-"  
  
"Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
  
There was no denying her authority in the infirmary. Just like there was no denying the orders he'd been given by Jack. Shawn didn't like it, but she was right, and he was wrong. He knew he was moving too slowly to be any help, but that didn't mean he didn't want to! He'd just have to do it here, in a different way.  
  
"Good."  
  
Fraiser took a deep breath, and turned to Carter, who looked at her guiltily.  
  
"Back in bed, Sam. You look about ready to collapse."  
  
Carter did as she was told, and sat back on the bed, although she didn't lie down. Her head was pounding, and she didn't know how Fraiser had known that, but it did feel good to get off her feet.  
  
Janet looked at Jaffer. The big lab looked right back at her. Filled with her own successes at chewing out one Colonel and sending a Major back to her bed, she thought for just a moment about tackling the problem of having the dog on her beds. It wasn't a debate she'd win, though, and she knew it before she even opened her mouth. He wasn't going to back down from her, and she couldn't make him see her authority. Even if she could, he wouldn't care and Janet knew it. Stubborn dog, stubborn owner.  
  
Scowling, Janet Fraiser went back to her patient, even as another round of gunfire signaled that she might have more patients to deal with any minute. 


	31. 31

A snarling noise from behind him told Jack that S-3 had arrived. The German shepherd had his hackles up and was showing off his impressive array of long white teeth. Jack motioned for the men to take cover, and pointed at the closest door.  
  
"Clear that room, Lieutenant." He told the leader of S-3. The man nodded, and gestured for the dog handler and another Marine to go into the room. The handler led the German shepherd all around the room, opening the one closet and making sure there were no other entrances to it, and watching the dog at all times to make sure there were no hidden enemies in there. When he was absolutely certain it was clear, he came to the doorway, crouching next to his dog, which was once more snarling and looking down the hall. Obviously there was an enemy in that direction, although the dog seemed to not be entirely positive which way he was.  
  
"The room's cleared, Sir."  
  
Jack pointed to the downed Marine. "Put him in it, make sure his vitals are normal, and get him comfortable, then lock him in it."  
  
"Aye, aye, Sir."  
  
The Marine pointed to two of his people, and they carefully carried the wounded man into the room, disappeared for a moment, then returned and shut the door carefully behind them, locking it down with a command to the keypad. Only a security officer would be able to open it, now, and only Jack or Hammond could do it before the base lock down was lifted.  
  
Signaling that they had done what they were told, the men returned and O'Neill nodded. Now, he had the men to take care of the assassin in front of him, and even better, he had a dog to tell him where it was. Jack watched the direction the dog was looking, and carefully crept out of the doorway he was in. When the bolt of energy came shooting at him, he was ready for it, and dove clear. He didn't go back under cover, though. He dove forward, and landed on his belly on the concrete floor, firing the B'kedricti the same direction the bolt of energy had come from. There was a yelp of pain, and he thought he heard scurrying. What he didn't hear was what he wanted most to hear; the thud of someone falling to floor. Meaning, he'd hit the guy, but only a glancing blow, and the guy was getting away.  
  
"Let the dog loose!" Jack called over his shoulder as he got back to his feet. He wasn't going to let this guy escape if he could help it. An instant later a flash of tan and black streaked past him, and Jack chased down the hall after it, his men following.  
  
There was an echoing snarl, and O'Neill realized that S-4 had converged on their position from the right, and Jack was aware that with the extra men in the area they wouldn't be able to blindly fire into the hallways.  
  
"Keep clear!" He yelled, as another German shepherd streaked past him and joined the other dog, both of them chasing the same assassin. The assassin stopped long enough to try and take a shot at the dogs, but he was rattled, and the shot went wild. The hesitation was all the dogs needed, and they launched themselves at him, teeth flashing and snarls and screams punctuating the otherwise silent corridor.  
  
"Yeah! Get 'em, Fang!" One of the men yelled. Jack turned to see that the men were – for the most part – standing in the open watching as the dogs attacked their invisible quarry.  
  
"Get down!" He yelled at them, aware that they were hardly safe. He dove towards the fray, knowing that with armor on the dogs weren't going to be able to kill the Ashrak, only distract him.  
  
"S-4-"  
  
Laser bolts started coming from two different directions, mowing S-3 down where they stood. S-4 dove for cover, pulling injured men with them, and trying to return fire. This left Jack and his lone S-1 Marine to deal with the two dogs alone. He'd had enough trouble dealing with Jack and the assassin, he wasn't sure how he was going to manage two dogs.  
  
"Call your dogs!" He yelled, hopefully. One of the handlers responded, the other was down. The German shepherds either didn't hear the order, or ignored it. They continued what they were doing, the weight of the heavy dogs pinning the frantic Ashrak down as he struggled to get them off so he could escape. Fangs flashing and ripping into thin air, although every now and then there was a yelp that told of a score. Jack grabbed the knife from the Marine's belt, and dove into the fight.  
  
"Get your zat ready!" He called as he landed between the two dogs, on the invisible lump. Dodging teeth as well as he could – and well aware how much it hurt to have skin torn open by them – Jack slashed out with the knife and felt it hit armor and glance off. The assassin was gaining ground. It was hard to fight someone you couldn't see, and Jack couldn't get a good target for the knife any more than the dogs could for their teeth.  
  
"Get cleared!" The Marine shouted, holding his zat out and ready to fire.  
  
A bolt shot out from the side corridor and struck the man, sending him sprawling, his zat rattling as it was sent flying across the floor.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
Jack turned his attention back to the fight, but the Ashrak was regaining his feet. He was bleeding badly – the floor was spattered with blood – but he was also able to get up, since the dogs and the Colonel neither one could see anything to grab on to to hold him down. A blow to the head stunned O'Neill, and Jack let go just long enough for the assassin to get up. He grabbed at the collars of the dogs, but only managed to get hold of one. The other German shepherd started after the invisible assassin, and this time the bolt of light that came from the invisible gun struck the pursuing dog squarely, and the shepherd went down in a heap.  
  
"Damn it!"  
  
Jack wrapped his arms tightly around Fang, who was desperately trying to get loose, and held the dog tightly.  
  
"Call your dog, God damn it!"  
  
A sharp command made the German shepherd turn his head, and training made him obey, even though he wanted to get back into the action. Jack let the dog go once he was certain that he wasn't going to run down the hall the wrong direction, and then taking a deep breath, O'Neill dragged himself into a doorway, and keyed his radio.  
  
"Who's left?"  
  
"S-3 is down, Sir." The entire team had been decimated in the ambush. "I have Fang and his handler, and myself. S-3's dog is down, and whoever is left from S-1."  
  
"Me," Jack said, tiredly. His head was pounding from the blow he'd taken, but he didn't have time to stop and take stock of how he felt. "We have at least three of them on this level. One's badly hurt, but still dangerous." Jack looked at the dog that was lying in the hall, and wondered if it was just knocked out. God, he hoped so.  
  
"Sir? This is S-5. Do you require assistance?"  
  
"No! S-5, you hold the door open for S-2." They couldn't let Teal'c and his team get ambushed.  
  
"We are on our way back down, O'Neill," Came the Jaffa's deep voice.  
  
"Roger."  
  
Jack turned and looked at the leader of S-4, who was checking injuries while Fang and his handler covered him.  
  
"We can't leave them in the open," Jack said, trusting that Fang would give him warning if there were another assassin too close. He went over and knelt by the downed dog, unwilling to see the noble creature just left in the hallway like a casualty of war. Picking the German shepherd up, Jack carried him over to the closest doorway. "We'll clear this room, and send help once we get back up."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
There was no way they could get all the downed men to the infirmary. Not with just three of them. 


	32. 32

Author's note: I'm feeling a bit better – although I don't know how long it will last - and I want to get as many chapters out as I can while I feel up to it, so I hope no one minds the quick updates (I can't imagine anyone will!)  
  
~*~  
  
"They're taking a beating." Shawn noted, listening in with the others to the radio chatter.  
  
Sam nodded, worried. Jack was all that was left of his team, and S-3 was all down, along with most of S-4. Teal'c's team was on its way down, and S- 5 was holding the door for them.  
  
"It's impossible to fight enemies you can't see."  
  
"Yeah, I-"  
  
They were interrupted by a snarl from Jaffer. The lab was on his feet on the bed in an instant, every hair on his body sticking up, and his lips drawn back to reveal his own formidable weaponry. It was all the warning they had.  
  
The door was kicked open and it shattered as the lock held but the hinges didn't. An invisible force knocked it the rest of the way off its frame, and the wood flew everywhere, raining large pieces down on the room. Sam rolled off the bed, grabbing the radio with one hand and the Beretta with the other, even as Shawn fired the B'kedricti into the empty air. There was a grunt of pain, but an invisible hand swatted the barrel away before the young man could get off another shot.  
  
"Colonel! They're in the infirmary!" Sam dropped the radio and fired at the doorway, just as Jaffer launched himself off the bed and right at Fraiser. The doctor stared as the black lab came towards her, shocked that he'd attack her. The lab wasn't after her, though. An assassin had gotten past Shawn, and was already heading for the others in the room. Sam had a weapon, as did the Marine, but the doctor was unarmed and the best target for an immediate kill.  
  
Of course, like the rest of the Ashrak, he hadn't counted on the dog. Jaffer couldn't see any more than the doctor or the others could, but he knew where the enemy was, and the attack he made was a vicious one. One hundred plus pounds of dog came crashing into the Ashrak from behind, sending him down onto the floor where he landed heavily, and with a weight on his back that was slashing at the back of his neck, trying to find a way to kill him even though he couldn't see him.  
  
Janet went down as well, under the weight of the invisible attack. She kicked her way clear while the assassin was struggling with Jaffer, and Sergeant Roberts reached down and hauled her to her feet, pulling her clear and pushing her behind him. He had a zat in his hand, but couldn't see to shoot it, and didn't dare fire until he could.  
  
"Janet!" Sam dove over her bed and launched herself into the fight with Jaffer, hands searching for a part of the invisible man that she could grab and hold, and another part of her desperately trying to avoid the flashing teeth that were dangerously close to her own delicate skin.  
  
Jaffer was a wonderful dog, and Sam had known him since he was a puppy, but this wasn't the same dog. This was a dog that was well aware that he was responsible for the lives of the people in the room with him, and he wasn't going to let them be hurt. He snarled, warning the Major not to get to close to him as he continued trying to find a soft spot to bite. The Marine gave up trying to fire his weapon; instead he jumped into the fight the same way Sam did, only he pulled the knife out of his belt, figuring that close combat was the only way to take the bastard down.  
  
Shawn was having his own problems. Trained by Teal'c, Jack and Master Bra'tac, the young man was as good as they come when it comes to fighting close quarters. He was better than most, for that matter. But an invisible man will always have the edge over the guy that can't see him, and Shawn knew he really didn't have much of a chance. Stubborn pride kept him from calling for help – that and the knowledge that there wasn't any help available. From the corner of his eye he could see Jaffer, Sam and the Marine had their hands full as well.  
  
~*~  
  
Jack heard the call for help, and then heard a couple shots fired from an automatic. They were coming from the direction of the infirmary.  
  
"Get them under cover!" Jack shouted to the remaining men, pointing at the last of the downed Marines. He wanted to take Fang, but he couldn't leave the other two without any warning system, and he didn't dare wait for them. There was no way of knowing how many were in the infirmary with Sam and Shawn. "Secure the room and get to the infirmary!"  
  
He shouted this last order as he started running down the corridor, and the men scrambled to do what they were told, knowing that the Colonel was going to be alone until they were able to join him.  
  
Jack was frantic. He tucked the alien weapon under his arm as he ran, checking the load in his Beretta. He was dangerously low on ammunition, but he didn't have another clip for it. He reclaimed his grip on both guns and turned the corner, hearing the very distinctive snarls of Jaffer, and the sounds of a struggle.  
  
He ran through the doorway, and right into something solid. The impact rocked Jack backwards, and he dropped the alien weapon. The hold on the Beretta was automatic, though, and the gun came up as Jack tried to find a clear shot at what he couldn't see.  
  
"Watch out!" Shawn had his hand on the invisible barrel of the assassin's B'kedricti, and he could feel the charge building up in the metal that meant it was going to fire. Jack didn't argue. He dove sideways into the room, and a beam shot at the wall next to where he'd just vacated. Jack couldn't fire back. There was no way he'd risk shooting that close to Shawn when there was no sure shot. He rolled and came back up, anxious to get the assassin's attention only on him, to at least give the boy a chance to get away. Of course, the problem with that was that the boy wasn't going to try and escape. Shawn wasn't going to run from the fight, and Jack should have known that. He did know it, deep down. He'd just hoped otherwise. But the boy was his father's son, and there was no denying it when Shawn threw his B'kedricti aside and dove at the invisible Ashrak, using the last shot to tell him where the man was.  
  
They went down in a heap, Shawn struggling to fins a killing hold on the Ashrak, the Ashrak struggling to get the barrel of his weapon against the young man's body so he could kill him. O'Neill launched himself into the fight as well, tossing aside his Beretta and pulling the knife out. Steel flashed as Jack felt for something vulnerable with one hand, and stabbed at it with the other, only hesitating long enough to make sure it wasn't something that belonged to Shawn or himself. 


	33. 33

Something invisible and incredibly sharp slashed through Jack's upper thigh, causing him to yelp in pain. Obviously, he didn't have hold of the assassin's hand like he thought, because the man had just stabbed him with God only knew what kind of knife. The yelp drew the attention of Jaffer, who realized for the first time that Jack was in the room, and the big black lab rushed from his own fight to join O'Neill's.  
  
The dog leaving was good for Sam and the Marine. They'd been having trouble dodging Jaffer's teeth, which had seemed to be everywhere at once. With the lab gone, Sam broke off from the fight and rolled to the side, grabbing up the zat that the Marine had dropped. Knowing it was going to hurt, she reached out and grabbed the invisible assassin in a one-handed grip, and fired it anyways, stunning herself, the Marine, and the Ashrak.  
  
The three of them went still. Jack didn't notice immediately. He and Shawn were suddenly dodging not only assassin's invisible knife, but also Jaffer's very visible fangs.  
  
"Sam!"  
  
Janet's call of concern broke the attention of both Shawn and Jack, and the two men turned at the call, and saw Carter laying still, sprawled in a heap with Roberts close at hand. Unsure of what had happened, Jack opened his mouth to ask Fraiser, and immediately paid for his lack of attention to the Ashrak he was battling.  
  
The invisible knife slashed out again, this time opening a long gash along Jack's ribs. The Colonel gasped in pain and rolled to the side to avoid the next one, which he just assumed was coming, since he couldn't actually see it. He heard Shawn yelp in pain, saw a bloody stripe appear across the young man's shoulder, and heard Jaffer snarl again. Jack jabbed out with an elbow, trying to keep the Ashrak from attacking Shawn again. All he could think of was keeping them away from the boy, and to do that he needed to keep the assassin's attention on himself.  
  
He rolled onto the assailant once more, the man struggling under him and Jaffer as Shawn tried to find an opening in the battle to throw himself once more. The Colonel and his dog were all over the guy, though, completely committing themselves to this battle to keep the assassin down on the floor where he couldn't hurt anyone else.  
  
There was a bolt of energy from the assassin Sam had shot with the zat. Obviously the man was down, but far from out. He'd sent off a wild shot that had still come very close to hitting Shawn, and the young man ducked and rolled that direction, lashing out with a foot and kicking hard. He felt contact with something invisible, which told him it was the assassin, and kicked again, giving Sam and the Marine a chance to recover and get clear.  
  
"Move!" Shawn yelled, as Jaffer yelped and was tossed aside. Whatever had hurt the dog wasn't serious, though, because with another snarl he was launching himself back into the attack, teeth flashing. Jack swore as he was hit with the invisible blade once more. He didn't have any defense against it; he couldn't see it to avoid it, and he couldn't back out of range because he didn't dare leave the assassin free to level his primary weapon at him or any of the others. He and Jaffer were losing this fight, and they both knew it. But neither was willing to give up. Stubborn dog, stubborn owner.  
  
Shawn got to his feet and reached down and grabbed a handful of Sam's shirt and started pulling her away from the Ashrak, while Janet Fraiser did the same with the Marine that had so vainly tried to protect her. Both Carter and the Marine were still feeling the affects of the zat, but luckily, so was the assassin, and they had a moment to get clear. Shawn stepped between Carter and the Ashrak once more, and was about throw himself on the guy to keep him from getting up and going after someone when there was a flash of light brown and suddenly Jack was there, snarling and ready to join the fray.  
  
The yellow lab wasn't fettered like the German shepherds. He wasn't held back from the battle with a leash like the Military dogs were. As soon as the door to level 27 had opened, the dog had heard the sounds of fighting and the snarls that were coming from Jaffer, and he'd pelted down the corridors towards it, anxious to come to the rescue. Teal'c and his Marine weren't far behind, and the rest of S-2 who'd went down the main staircase and joined up with S-5 had heard the shouting as well. These men all had the Heftarii devices – even though none of them knew they were called that. Jack had called them Atarii thingies, and as far as they knew, that was the name. As a group, the men had rushed towards the sound of the struggle, although they were careful to watch their sixes and make sure nothing was sneaking up behind them as they ran.  
  
Shawn watched, almost mesmerized, as Jack jumped at the assassin he couldn't see. Knowing that the dog wouldn't be able to fight him alone, Shawn started to join in, and then gave a startled exclamation as the assassin suddenly came into full view. Teal'c and his device were close enough that it was starting to work, and the cloaking devices on the Ashrak armor were being countered. Shawn reached down and grabbed Jack's collar, pulling the snarling dog back. The yellow lab could see his opponent, now, and he wasn't about to let him go, though. Teeth ripped at him as Jack got in a few last minute slashes to bare skin and it was the assassin's turn to yelp in pain and surprise. Shawn raised his zat, trying to move Jack before he fired, but having a lot of trouble controlling dog and assassin both.  
  
O'Neill and Jaffer were equally surprised when their Ashrak suddenly became visible as well. The knife the man was holding was a short bladed weapon, but it had already done a lot of damage. Jack and Jaffer were both bleeding profusely. As soon as he saw what was happening, though, Jack didn't hesitate. Hand to hand, there were very few who could beat O'Neill in a fight, and Jack's knife came down hard, right between the Ashrak's eyes. The assassin hadn't even realized he had been seen, and the shock was plain to see, even as he died.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
O'Neill wasn't sure who'd called, or if they were calling him. He rolled off the Ashrak, and looked around, breathing heavily as he wrapped his arm around Jaffer to pull him away from the dead assassin. It was a measure of just how exhausted and hurt he was that he didn't see the arrival of the third assassin - even though the man was as visible as everyone else in the room. This Ashrak was the one Jack and Fang had attacked, and even though his true target was Shawn, the assassin had a personal score to settle with O'Neill. He muttered something in Goa'uld as he raised his B'kedricti and pointed it at Jack, and O'Neill looked over at the words, surprise on his face when he saw the weapon pointed at him and the bleeding, scratched face of the assassin looking down at him.  
  
He was too hurt to care, though. Definitely too hurt to try and dodge. Not too hurt to try one last, desperate chance, though. He pushed Jaffer away, just to make sure that when the Ashrak fired at him and killed him, the black lab wouldn't get hurt, then Jack reached out and snatched the knife from the dead Ashrak's forehead. In a fluid motion, he threw the weapon, and had the pleasure of seeing it bury itself deep in the man's belly just as the B'kedricti fired.  
  
At the same time Jack was throwing the knife, another weapon was coming up to bear, and a powerful blast echoed through the room as Teal'c fired his staff weapon at the remaining assassin. The force of the blow to the man's side knocked him to the left, and the final shot he got off went wild, missing O'Neill and striking the far wall of the infirmary. The man fell, dead, and Jack fell as well, unable to hold himself up any longer.  
  
Teal'c ignored O'Neill for the moment, taking aim at the Ashrak that Jack was still struggling to get to. Shawn wasn't having any luck holding dog and zat, but when he looked up and saw Teal'c aiming the staff weapon, Shawn dropped the zat and put both arms around Jack, pulling hard and dragging the dog away, still struggling. Teal'c fired, and the assassin died. It was really very easy to kill them when they were visible.  
  
Looking for anyone else that might need to be neutralized, Teal'c didn't see anyone. He lowered the weapon, and knelt next to O'Neill. Shawn released the yellow lab, who came bounding over the dead assassin and joined Teal'c, and Jaffer nuzzled O'Neill, who was sprawled painfully on the floor.  
  
"Are you badly injured, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, reaching out and pulling the shredded shirt aside to look at the knife wound to Jack's side.  
  
"Take the teams and clear the SGC," Jack whispered, pulling away from the touch.  
  
Fraiser came over and knelt beside Jack as well, pushing Jaffer aside as the dog tried to lick O'Neill's face. She, too, focused on the knife wounds, and Jack tried to move away, wincing.  
  
"Please don't..."  
  
He was starting to pass out, and he knew it. Shock or pain – or both – were beginning to take its toll, and try as he might, he couldn't fight it. He looked over to make sure Sam was okay, then saw that Shawn was standing as well, bleeding from the shoulder wound he'd taken, but very much alive and well.  
  
Daniel came rushing into the room as Teal'c stood up. There could be more assassins, and he needed to make sure the rest of the SGC was cleared before he took the time to worry about his friends. The archeologist took in the mess, and the scattered bodies of the Ashrak in one glance, then knelt next to Fraiser and Jack, running a hand over Jaffer's glossy black hide when the black lab came over to greet him.  
  
"Is he all right?" Daniel asked, looking down at Jack, who looked like hell.  
  
"He will be." He was breathing, and his heart rate was about right. It was more than Janet could have hoped for. There was a lot of blood on the floor, but she knew it wasn't all Jack O'Neill's. Fraiser looked over at Daniel and saw blood on his hand.  
  
"What happened to you?"  
  
"Me?"  
  
She pointed at the blood, and Daniel looked down at his hand, suddenly aware that it was smeared with crimson. It wasn't his, though. He looked at Jaffer. Really looked at him, this time, and saw that the black lab was as battered as his owner. The dog had several shallow knife wounds running along his side – an obvious indicator of the vicious battle fought when the Ashrak had been invisible.  
  
"Oh, God, look at him." 


	34. 34

Fraiser had too many other people to worry about to be too worried about Jaffer. The lab was on his feet and moving freely, so he wasn't a priority. Jack O'Neill wasn't moving, and was bleeding all over her floor. He was.  
  
"General Hammond," Teal'c's voice came over the radio that was attached to Jack's belt.  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"The infirmary has been cleared and we are proceeding to sweep the rest of level 27. Colonel O'Neill has been wounded and is out of action, so I will be taking command of the sweep teams."  
  
"Roger that, Teal'c. Keep me informed."  
  
"We need to get him up on a bed so I can get a better look at what I'm dealing with," Fraiser said, gesturing to Daniel and Roberts. The Marine stepped forward to help, and he and Daniel picked Jack up and laid him on the bed that Sam had been in. Jaffer jumped up as well, settling himself at Jack's feet before Fraiser could stop him.  
  
"Oh, no, you don't," Janet said, gesturing for Daniel to get Jaffer down for her. The archeologist reached for the lab's collar, and Jaffer growled. It was a low, deep noise that rumbled through his chest and warned Daniel that the big dog had had a very rough day, wasn't feeling all that good at the moment, and didn't want to move. Daniel jerked his hand back immediately.  
  
"Uh-uh. He's in a bad mood, Janet, and I'm not going to touch him." Daniel had seen those teeth in action, and wanted nothing to do with them.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
If there was anyone on the base that could control the dog without Jack being awake to do it, it was Sam. Unfortunately, she was busy helping Shawn take off his shirt so she could check out the knife wound in his shoulder. Her hands full, all she could do was shake her head. Besides, there was no guarantee that she could make Jaffer obey her, and there was no way she was going to risk those teeth any more than Daniel was.  
  
Fraiser scowled, but decided that she really didn't have time to argue with the stupid dog. The stupid dog that had, she knew, probably saved her life only a few minutes before.  
  
"Fine. Stay there. See if I care."  
  
She cut O'Neill's clothes off him, checking for wounds as she went. She found plenty, but the most serious were a stab wound in his upper right thigh, the gash along his ribs that was still bleeding badly, and a vicious gash on his left forearm that Jack had wrapped with a white cloth.  
  
Fraiser applied bandages and pressure to the injury in Jack's side first, as she looked at the gash on his forearm. It didn't look like a knife wound; the damage was nasty and deep, and the edges of the wound were far more ragged than the usual clean cut of a knife.  
  
"It's from Jack," Daniel explained, noticing her looking at it. Daniel had been pressed into service as a nurse, since Fraiser didn't have any medical personnel in the infirmary, and he was applying pressure to the stab wound that was still leaking blood but had luckily missed any major veins or arteries.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"Teal'c's dog. They were scuffling with one of the Ashrak and Jack got bit."  
  
"It's quite a bite."  
  
Daniel nodded. And she wondered why he wasn't going to move Jaffer?  
  
"Is he going to be all right?"  
  
Fraiser nodded. "He's been hurt worse."  
  
Shawn walked over, his shirt off and blood smearing his chest from the knife wound he'd taken. He was holding a bandage against the wound to stop the bleeding, and didn't seem to be hurt to badly. The young man looked down at Jack, who was covered in blood – but not all of it his – and then over at the doctor, his brown eyes worried.  
  
"He's going to be fine. It looks a lot worse than it is."  
  
"It looks pretty bad." Sam said, coming over and standing at the foot of the bed. She looked down at Jaffer, who thumped his tail against the bed in welcome. The big dog was leaving a bloody mess of his own, and Sam's eyes widened at the severity of the bleeding.  
  
"He's really hurt, Janet," Carter said, reaching out and pushing Jaffer over onto his side so she could get a better look at the slashes in his side. "Shouldn't you do something?"  
  
"I'm not a vet, Sam," Fraiser said. "All I could do is clean them out and bandage them, and with him growling every time I look at him, I'm not going to be able to even do that."  
  
"That's because you're trying to move him and he wants to be with Jack," Carter said, shaking her head. "I'll do the cleaning, if you tell me what to use."  
  
With Shawn playing one-handed nurse and Roberts helping wherever he could, Sam managed to clean the gashes on Jaffer and bandage him while Fraiser and Daniel stabilized O'Neill and started an IV to begin replacing fluids. The doctor began stitching Jack up – starting with the deep tissue injury to his thigh – but when she looked over at Jaffer to see how Sam was doing, she couldn't help but smile. The dog was literally swathed with bandages, and looked like he'd been mummified. Fraiser had a feeling that if dogs could scowl, Jaffer would be doing just that.  
  
"Um... Sam?"  
  
"I know." She hadn't been able to get the tape to stick to the black fur, so she'd been forced to wrap more bandages around Jaffer to hold the original ones in place. "At least he isn't bleeding."  
  
Fraiser didn't say anything; she just went back to her stitching. She'd been warned by Teal'c that there would be more casualties as soon as the base was secured and the lock down was lifted, although the sweep teams hadn't seen any more assassins and they were all the way up to level 20. Apparently some of the Marines had been knocked out and had been left in secured rooms to keep them safe.  
  
Of course, once the lockdown was lifted, Fraiser would have more medical personnel to help her, since they were already assembled at the top of the stairs and waiting for word. Sam had also had Roberts call and ask for a vet, since she knew that Jaffer wasn't the only injured dog on the base – even though he was in the worst condition. Carter knew what they owed the dogs, and she knew that the others who had been on the base that night would all agree. Especially the sweep teams that had relied so heavily on them. 


	35. 35

Something was looming over him. Jack wasn't even fully awake, but he was aware of it. Not hovering, like a doctor normally would, either. It was something completely different. And it was enough to wake him up, even though he'd much rather have slept a while longer. Jack opened his eyes. And looked right into Jaffer's brown eyes.  
  
The big lab was standing on Jack's bed. Not only was he standing on the bed, but he was straddling Jack's chest; big feet planted on either side of O'Neill's body as he looked down at him. If not for the fact that it was one of Jaffer's favorite ways to wake Jack up, the Colonel might have been startled into wakefulness. As it was, he simply reached his hand up to pet the big black head. Jack's left arm was tightly bandaged from wrist to elbow, and he wondered briefly why. Then he remembered that that was where Jack had bitten him. Before he could think about anything else, Jaffer lowered his cold nose and started snuffling Jack's neck  
  
He wanted out, Jack knew from experience. O'Neill looked around, wondering if there was someone in the infirmary who could do him the favor of taking his dog out, but the room was empty of all medical personnel – which was fairly unusual. Jack looked over at the bed next to his and saw Shawn was sleeping in it, and he sat up, wincing as the motion tugged at all the stitches Fraiser had given him. Jaffer moved back down to the foot of the bed, but he didn't lie down. He wanted out, and soon he'd NEED to go out. But he was willing to give Jack a chance to wake up, first.  
  
O'Neill turned in the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress, looking down at himself and taking stock of his injuries. He was dressed in only a pair of boxers – which was a far cry better than wearing one of the paper gowns that Fraiser so dearly loved to dress her patients in. His upper leg was bandaged as tightly as his forearm, and he had white bandages wrapped around his ribs and belly. Rubbing his face, he saw an IV tube going into another bandage on his right hand, and he looked around once more, and then pulled it out. He hated needles.  
  
"Don't tell." Jack whispered to Jaffer, noticing for the first time that the black lab had bandages of his own. Jack motioned his dog closer, and Jaffer came over obediently, wagging his tail. He had a few open cuts on his side, but they looked clean to Jack – who was pretty much an expert when it came to cuts. There was a white bandage wrapped around Jaffer's chest and belly, and Jack had to assume that there were more serious cuts under there, presumably already stitched up since the bandages looked like they'd been done professionally. He wondered if Fraiser had done it, or if they'd called in a vet. Probably a vet. Jack knew Janet wasn't all that keen on Jaffer.  
  
Looking over at Shawn once more, Jack hopped off the bed. And promptly fell on his face when the muscle in his upper thigh gave a spasm and seized up on him, refusing to work without at least being given a chance to warm up. Jack fell in a heap, and with a muffled curse, and Jaffer hopped down off the bed and came over to him, whining softly as he licked Jack's face.  
  
"Stop that," Jack said half-heartedly as he stood up – this time far more carefully. When given a chance, the leg was willing to hold his weight, as long as he was a little gentler with it. Jack limped over to the bed Shawn was in and looked down at the young man. He had a large bandage on his shoulder, and his arm was in a sling – which didn't really mean there was anything wrong with the arm, Jack knew. He was aware that Fraiser might have put it in a sling to keep the arm still to avoid injuring the shoulder any further. Jack didn't see anything else wrong with the boy. Nothing that wasn't already there. Bruises and bumps, yes, but they weren't serious.  
  
As if aware of Jack's scrutiny, Shawn opened his eyes, looking up at Jack, slightly dazed to find him hovering over him.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey. How do you feel?"  
  
"My arm's a little sore, but nothing more. Are you supposed to be out of bed?"  
  
Jack shrugged, looking around again. The infirmary beds were filled with Marines that had been members of the sweep teams, but Jack didn't see anyone from Teal'c's team or S-5.  
  
"No one told me I had to stay in bed," He said, simply.  
  
Shawn looked around and then sat up, too.  
  
"Where's Doctor Fraiser?"  
  
Jack shrugged. "Did she tell you that you had to stay in bed?"  
  
"She told me to get some rest."  
  
"You were sleeping when I came over. That was resting, right?"  
  
Shawn nodded, and grinned. It was a smile Sam knew well, and even Jack noticed the similarity to his own. He smiled, too.  
  
"Do me a favor, will you?" He asked.  
  
"Anything, Jack."  
  
"Go find me something to wear. At least some pants. Jaffer needs to go out."  
  
"Can I come, too?"  
  
"If you find me some pants."  
  
The young man swung his legs over and got off the bed, moving better than he had been earlier. He gave Jack a half salute, then headed cautiously for the door, looking around for someone that might put a stop to their little expedition. He didn't see anyone, and he vanished out the makeshift door that had been put up to replace the broken one.  
  
"Find some for you, too," Jack said as he sat down on Shawn's bed to wait for the boy to come back.  
  
~*~  
  
Shawn returned far sooner than Jack had expected, and he was wearing a pair of BDUs and carrying another. Handing them to Jack, he reached down and pet Jaffer while O'Neill got dressed.  
  
"Where'd you get them?"  
  
"Supply room."  
  
"Did you see anyone?"  
  
"Nope, just went in and took them."  
  
"Good." Jack finished pulling them up, careful of the bandages on his thigh, and nodded he was ready. The three of them walked to the door and looked out. Seeing an empty hall, they headed for the elevator. All they had to do was make it that far and they'd be in the clear. Just a little further, now. They were at the door of the elevator, and grinned at each other as they waited for it to come down and get them. They'd made it. No one slyer than these two, that was for sure.  
  
The door opened and Fraiser stepped out. And promptly stopped, a very displeased look on her face when she saw two of her patients standing in the corridor, half-naked with no shoes or shirts, and looking very much like they were planning on going somewhere without her permission.  
  
"Just where do you think you two are going?" She asked in a voice that was far too calm for Jack's liking. It simply meant she was going to build up to the really bad part.  
  
"Jaffer needs to go out, Doc." Jack said, as if that was the most reasonable demand in the world.  
  
"Why didn't you send someone else to take him?"  
  
"Because there was no one in there to ask."  
  
"It takes two of you?" She turned her attention to Shawn.  
  
"I didn't want Jack to fall down and not be able to get up," Shawn said, quickly. "So I thought I'd better go, too."  
  
"Barefoot?"  
  
"Um..." Shawn looked at Jack, who looked back at him. Then they both turned to Fraiser.  
  
"Yeah... I don't have one for that..." Jack said. He looked down at Jaffer, who looked back up at him. Jaffer wasn't any help when it came to this kind of thing, either. Jack knew that from experience.  
  
"You two get back to the infirmary," Fraiser told them. "I'll find someone to walk Jaffer for you, Colonel."  
  
"He really needs to go, now, Doc. Otherwise he wouldn't have woke-"  
  
"Fine. Take him up and come right back down. Both of you. Not a moment longer than necessary, or I'll send my staff up to hunt you down and I'll tie you both to your beds."  
  
She turned and walked off, and Jack and Shawn watched her, Shawn wondering how they'd managed to get off so easily, Jack knowing that she wasn't through with them, yet.  
  
"See that?" Jack said as they got in the elevator. "Now you've gone and got me into trouble."  
  
Jaffer and Shawn both looked at him, unsure of who he was talking to. 


	36. 36

They drew a lot of attention as they made their way slowly outside. Everyone had heard what had happened, of course, and Jack and Jaffer's plethora of bandages were obvious signs of their involvement. Take in the fact that Shawn was a very good-looking young man wearing very few clothes and whatever attention Jack and Jaffer didn't get, Shawn did.  
  
"It's raining, Sir," One of the Airmen told him as they reached the ground level. The woman was looking down at Jack's bare feet, and then at Shawn's bare chest.  
  
"Great." Jack looked down at Jaffer, as though asking the dog if he really had to go out, but the lab was already walking towards the door. He had to go out. Jack followed, but looked over his shoulder at Shawn, and told him to stay put. He'd be right back. No sense in both of them getting wet and getting Fraiser any more irritated than necessary. Shawn didn't argue. As much as he wanted to spend time with Jack, he had no desire to get rained on. He stood at the desk and chatted with the Airman while Jack headed for the door.  
  
The Marine at the door offered Jack the use of his waterproof jacket, and O'Neill accepted gratefully. Slipping it on carefully, he walked barefoot outside and kept an eye on Jaffer as the lab ran around, sniffing everything and everyone, and generally making his presence known to those around him. Jack scowled. The dog didn't look like he hurt at all.  
  
"Hurry up, Jaffer," Jack said, shivering when rain trickled under the jacket and down his back. His hair was already wet, and he was glad Fraiser wasn't out here to see him.  
  
"Colonel?"  
  
O'Neill turned and saw Carter walking over to him, concern on her face.  
  
"Major?"  
  
"Does Doctor Fraiser know you're out here?"  
  
"Yup. Now ask me if she's happy about it."  
  
There was no need to, and Sam knew it.  
  
"But she let you out?"  
  
"She didn't have a lot of choice." Jack gestured over to Jaffer, who was finally settling on the perfect place to pee.  
  
"You should have called me. I would have brought him out."  
  
"I didn't know it was raining." Meaning he'd wanted to go out, but hadn't realized he would be miserable when he went.  
  
"Should have asked."  
  
"Carter..."  
  
"Sorry." She smiled, knowing she was just annoying him, but happy that he was on his feet and not looking all that bad, all things considered. "Did Janet tell you if you had to go back to the infirmary?"  
  
"Oh yeah. She's not happy with me, or Shawn. Straight up, straight back down, or she's going to send her staff to come look for us and tie us to our beds."  
  
Sam laughed and Jaffer came trotting over to say hello to her. She knelt and rubbed his face obligingly, taking care to avoid his mouth, which was slightly swollen. Most likely from trying to bite the Ashrak armor so many times. Jack and the other dogs were all suffering from similar injuries, and the Marines on the base – not just their handlers - were babying all of them outrageously.  
  
"Then we'd better get you back."  
  
Jack scowled and Sam grinned again as she stood back up.  
  
"I'm not staying in the infirmary all weekend."  
  
"I'm sure Janet won't-"  
  
"Yes, she will." Jack said as he turned and headed back for the door, reaching out and putting his hand on the small of Sam's back to remind her that he wasn't mad at her or anything. He was getting pretty good about that, Carter noticed absently as she fell into step beside him, with Jaffer bounding ahead of them to get inside out of the rain. Jack had a nasty temper sometimes, and was grouchy about some things, but when it wasn't being directed at her, he usually made it a point to let her know in some quiet way. Which hadn't always been the case. The old dogs could learn the new tricks.  
  
When they got back inside, Shawn joined them as Jack gave the Marine back his coat, and they headed for the elevators.  
  
"Teal'c cleared the entire base?" Jack asked.  
  
"Yes, Sir. There aren't any more Ashrak, and we've got the Heftarii devices scattered in key locations around the base. Two at the Stargate, and one at every entrance to the base. They won't be able to sneak in again."  
  
"Good. Casualties?"  
  
"No one was hurt too badly. There were a couple serious burns, everyone knocked out woke with headaches and are being watched for any symptoms of concussion. The base dogs are all suffering sore mouths, and one of the German shepherds lost a tooth. Nothing more serious than that, though."  
  
"Good." They'd been lucky. "Wonder if any got out?"  
  
"I'm not sure, Sir. I'm more interested in where they came from."  
  
"Me, too," Shawn said.  
  
"We found one dead in the Gate room. Any chance they came through when Shawn here did?" Jack asked.  
  
Sam shrugged. "Anything's possible. I suppose since they were invisible, and we didn't have any dogs in the room at the time to notice them, it's as good a theory as any."  
  
"I didn't see any at the Gate when I was knocked through," Shawn told them. "You'd think I'd have at least felt them coming with me?"  
  
"Not necessarily," Carter said. "When the wormhole engaged and you went through, your cells were –"  
  
"Aaaaaah!" Jack held up a hand to stop her. His head already hurt, and he didn't want to hear any techno babble just then.  
  
"Sorry." Sam and Shawn both grinned.  
  
"How are we planning on getting him back to his own time?" Jack asked as they reached the door to the infirmary.  
  
"I'm not –"  
  
She was interrupted by an alarm. The same alarm that they always heard to alert the security personnel of anything that was a potential threat to the base.  
  
"Unscheduled off-world activation! Repeat! Unscheduled off-world activation! Security teams report to the Embarkation Room!"  
  
Fraiser came out of the infirmary, already ordering her medical personnel to be ready in case they were needed. She was about to say something when she saw O'Neill and Shawn there with Sam, but all three of them had already turned and bolted down the hall towards the embarkation room, Jaffer at their heels. There were no teams off world right now, and everyone knew it. 


	37. 37

Author's note: I'm sorry I'm not updating so quickly on this one. What with being sick, I've fallen so behind on my paperwork that I've actually had to work (gasp) to catch up.  
  
~*~  
  
The Stargate engaged behind the iris just as O'Neill, Shawn, Sam and Jaffer entered the Embarkation room. Teal'c and Daniel were already there, along with Hammond and Jack. The yellow lab was watching the gate as intently as everyone else, and O'Neill knew that Teal'c had brought him in just as a backup in case the Atarii devices didn't do their job. Of course, there was also a handful of Marines with rifles and automatic weapons ready. They wouldn't be surprised again.  
  
"Who is it?" Jack asked, his hand pressing against his bandaged side absently. Moving fast wasn't really something O'Neill was ready to do, and the run wasn't as clever an idea as it might have seemed at the time.  
  
"Receiving SG-1's iris code." The announcement came over the intercom, and Hammond looked back over his shoulder at the Sergeant, who looked almost guilty as he looked back. Everyone else looked at Shawn, who shrugged, and winced when the motion pulled at his own stitches.  
  
"No clue."  
  
"The rest of your team coming to look for you?" Jack asked.  
  
"I don't-"  
  
"Open the iris," Hammond called. The metal moved fluidly, removing the protection from the earth's Stargate, and everyone tensed, including the dogs and the Marines.  
  
There was a moment's wait, and then just as Jack was going to mumble something smart-assed, something came through the gate. Something that looked like nothing more than a crumbled up ball of paper. Jack and Jaffer both dove for it at the same time, but the black lab was closer than his brother, and his strong jaws closed around it before O'Neill could even be concerned.  
  
"Drop it!"  
  
Immediately the dog dropped the paper, looking over at Jack as though surprised at the command. Sam shook her head; amazed as always when she saw the dog obey so instantly with Jack when he wouldn't do anything anyone else told him to. It was easy to forget that he was as well trained as any dog on the base. Especially since Jack was the only person he obeyed completely and utterly.  
  
O'Neill stepped forward, and bent down to pick up the paper, and gasped when he felt a stabbing pain in his side and leg. He paled and grabbed at the railing of the ramp to keep from losing his balance when his leg decided it didn't want to hold him in that position.  
  
"I'll get it, Sir," Sam said, stepping up and picking up the paper before Jack could tell her not to. She looked at it curiously, and uncrumbled it, smoothing it out so she could see what it was while everyone else watched, curiously.  
  
"What is it?" Hammond asked.  
  
"Apparently we're not the only ones who've been working on the problem of getting Shawn here back to his rightful time," Sam said, handing the paper to Jack, who took it curiously.  
  
"'All clear, send him back.'" There was a set of gate coordinates that weren't Earth's, and then 'May 14th 13:43' Under that was the gate coordinates for Earth, along with a point of origin symbol that Jack didn't recognize. And under that was Jack O'Neill's signature. "What the hell?"  
  
"Can I see that?" Shawn reached out for the paper and Jack handed it over. "These are the coordinates to YD4-PLQ."  
  
"The planet with all the invisible Ashrak?" Jack asked.  
  
Shawn nodded.  
  
"I'm not sending you there," O'Neill said, looking at his watch. It was the 14th, and it was only about an hour from the time that the note said he was supposed to go, but there was no way he was sending the boy back to the planet that was filled with assassins.  
  
"You have to, Sir," Sam said.  
  
Daniel took the note from Shawn, and read it, then handed it to Hammond.  
  
"It looks like your signature."  
  
"It is."  
  
"Then you must have sent it, right?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Then you need to send him."  
  
"I'm not going to."  
  
"You have to."  
  
"Not alone."  
  
"You can't go with him, Colonel," Carter said. "Obviously you sent the note, and I can't imagine you'd have sent the note telling us to send him someplace dangerous."  
  
"No, I wouldn't."  
  
"Then it must be cleared of the Ashrak." Sam said reasonably.  
  
"I don't know that, Carter."  
  
Sam took the paper back from Teal'c, who had taken it from Daniel. She held it out to O'Neill once more, who took it. "Yes, you do know it, or you wouldn't have sent it."  
  
"Maybe it's a trick. Maybe someone knows my handwriting." Jack hated complicated things like this.  
  
"It's your signature, Sir."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I have to go back, Jack." Shawn told him.  
  
"Not this second, you don't. If we don't send you, maybe I'll... they'll... send a different note, with a better time and a safer place. A place I know is safe."  
  
"I trust you," Shawn said, seriously. "I'm not afraid to go back to YD4- PLQ. If you sent the note – and I know you did, since that's your handwriting and your signature – then I know the place is safe. It's probably teeming with SG teams, and lots of weapons and dogs."  
  
Jack scowled. He didn't have as much faith as Shawn did. Besides, if he admitted it, he wanted to spend a little more time with the boy now that the danger was cleared out a little. It wasn't fair of him to send himself a note telling him he only had another hour before he had to send Shawn back. He wanted a chance to get to know the kid a bit better. To get to know the man he had become.  
  
"They can send another note." Jack said. "When you don't show up, they'll figure it out. A safe place, where I know-"  
  
"Damn it, Jack." Shawn understood that O'Neill wasn't as sure as he was. He understood that he didn't trust his future self nearly as much as Shawn did. But he knew without a doubt that the way would be safe. Knew it because of the man who'd sent the note. From the moment he'd met him, Jack O'Neill had been spending his entire life protecting Shawn, and that included the Jack O'Neill who'd sent the note. "I know it's safe. You have to send me there." He turned to Hammond, knowing the General was the only one on the base that could over rule O'Neill.  
  
"You're sure, son?" Hammond asked.  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"Then we'll send you." There was no other choice. It wasn't their only chance, probably, but it might be the only good chance for the people in the future or they would have sent more than one set of options. Hammond knew this, and he had to consider it, even if Jack didn't want to. Which it was obvious he didn't.  
  
Jack tossed the paper to the floor and turned without a word and stalked out of the room, Jaffer close at his heels. 


	38. 38

"O'Neill does not seem to share your belief that the note is authentic," Teal'c told Shawn in the silence that followed the Colonel's abrupt departure.  
  
"He's just worried," Shawn said, coming to Jack's defense. "I understand why he's worried, but I'm sure it's safe, or he wouldn't have sent the message." It was confusing to be discussing the same person in two different tenses.  
  
Daniel bent down and picked up the note that Jack had dropped on the floor.  
  
"This is only about an hour from now."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I'll go talk to him, Shawn. I'm sure he'll-"  
  
"I'll go talk to him, Sam," Shawn said, shaking his head. "This is about me, and it's something we have to work out before I go. Otherwise it'll affect his relationship with the younger version of me."  
  
That made sense, and Carter nodded, conceding the logic.  
  
"I'll be back as soon as I can."  
  
"We'll get the coordinates into the dialing computer. Look in his office, you'll probably find him there."  
  
Shawn nodded, and walked out of the room.  
  
"Are you sure, Major?" Hammond asked. "Colonel O'Neill's instincts are usually pretty good when it comes to spotting traps."  
  
"I know, Sir." It had saved SG-1 more than once. "This time he's not using his instincts, though." She didn't explain, instead she took the note from Daniel and headed for the command room to get started entering the coordinates into their computer along with the precise time the gate needed to be activated.  
  
~*~  
  
Sam had been right. O'Neill was in his office, sitting at his desk. One hand was pressed against the bandage on his side, idly trying to massage out the ache from the stitches he'd already managed to rip, and the other was resting on Jaffer's neck, one of the few places on the black lab that didn't have cuts or bandages. The big dog was sitting on the floor between Jack and his desk, his head resting on the uninjured thigh and his body between O'Neill's knees. It was a comfort position for the two of them; one that Jaffer had decided he liked a long time before. Having one of Jack's knees pressing in on either side of his body gave him the feeling of being cuddled, and he always liked being cuddled, even now, when he wasn't a puppy any more.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
He looked up when Shawn's voice broke into his dark thoughts, and saw the young man standing at his door. Still wearing nothing but a pair of pants.  
  
"Shawn?"  
  
"Can I come in?"  
  
"If I say no are you going to do it anyways?" Jack asked. "You're not paying attention to anything else I've said."  
  
"That's not true, and you know it." Shawn said, walking into Jack's office and sitting in the chair across the desk from him. He looked over at the man who had been his mentor for more than half his life, thinking back on things that this Jack didn't even know were to come. How many times had Shawn sat in this chair while he was growing up? Occasionally watching Jack brood over some problem or the other, but usually just listening to stories or advice about everything from girls to combat tactics and first kisses and dates.  
  
"It is this time."  
  
"I trust this note."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it's from you, Jack."  
  
"What if it isn't?"  
  
"It is."  
  
"I could send Jaffer with you," Jack said, looking down at the black lab. Jaffer would protect Shawn as ferociously as Jack himself would.  
  
Shawn knew Jack meant it, and he felt his eyes sting as he had yet another reminder of just what the man was willing to sacrifice in order to keep him safe. As if he needed another reminder after the last evening.  
  
"No, Jack. Jaffer's your dog and he belongs with you. Besides, I won't need him." Chances were Jaffer wouldn't listen to Shawn, anyways, but that was the last excuse Shawn would use. "The note's real."  
  
"You're willing to bet your life on it?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
O'Neill sighed, and shook his head.  
  
"You need to trust me on this one, Jack. Like I've always trusted you." He smiled, leaning forward. "I'm not a little boy, now, and it's been a long time since I've done something foolish and put myself in danger."  
  
O'Neill sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking at Shawn. He was right; he wasn't a child. Not in his time, anyways. It was just hard for Jack to differentiate between the boy he'd seen only the day before, and the young man that was sitting with him now. He wondered if in twelve years he'd be having just as much trouble, and decided it probably wasn't going to ever change.  
  
Shawn didn't say anything as he watched Jack, knowing that the older man was thinking things through and giving him a chance to do it without being nagged. Snap decisions were something Jack was very good at, and changing his mind once it was made up was something that took a bit longer. Shawn knew and understood this.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like hours but was only about ten minutes, Jack nodded.  
  
"You're going to need some clothes."  
  
"I know." With the hand that wasn't in the sling, Shawn gestured to Jack's bandages, which were seeping blood from his ripped stitches. "You'd better get a shirt on before Doctor Fraiser sees you're bleeding, or she's not going to let you-"  
  
"I will." Jack told him, interrupting. "You're sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Just like that.  
  
"But, in case I'm wrong-"  
  
"In case you're wrong?" Jack's eyebrows went up, and his face was clouded with doubt once again, and Shawn was quick to reassure him.  
  
"Not that I am, since I know I'm not," he said hastily. "But on the off chance that something happens and I don't make it back to the right time, or back to the SGC – and you – I... well..." He hesitated, stumbling over words that he'd meant to tell Jack long before then.  
  
"Are you happy, Shawn?" Jack asked, suddenly, his brown eyes looking carefully at the young man. This Shawn – the adult one – knew who he was, and what he was, and Jack needed to know if he was content with what he'd become.  
  
"I'm exactly what I want to be, Jack." Shawn said, firmly. "I've known forever what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I'm doing it. And doing it well, I hope. I couldn't be happier." Shawn's sincerity was obvious, and Jack nodded. "I owe you everything, you know?"  
  
Jack shook his head. "You don't owe me anything, and you never will."  
  
Shawn wasn't going to argue the point, but he knew better. He stood up. "I'd better go get ready to go. Do you want me to bring you a shirt?"  
  
"And boots." His feet were cold, even though he had them resting under Jaffer's warm butt.  
  
"I'll be right back."  
  
"Bring me the shirt, first, and I'll help you pick what you need to take with you."  
  
He wasn't completely sure it was the wisest course of action, but at least he could make sure Shawn had everything he needed. Just in case.  
  
"Yes, Sir." 


	39. 39

Dodging Fraiser's medical personnel – who were undoubtedly looking for Jack - they went to the supply room, which was manned by an Airman and a Marine Sergeant. The Airman saluted, the Marine knelt down and greeted Jaffer fondly as the big dog came over and wagged a greeting before sticking his nose in the woman's crotch. She giggled – which both Shawn and Jack knew wouldn't be the reaction if either of them tried it – and made much of Jaffer and his bandages while Jack helped Shawn get supplied for his trip back through the gate.  
  
The first thing Shawn did was take the sling off. He wanted to wear his shirt properly, and besides, he needed both hands to carry the B'kedricti and his gear. Jack looked at his watch as he waited for Shawn to put on the Kevlar vest, and saw that they only had about a half an hour before he was going to be heading off.  
  
"You probably won't need any food, but a canteen and some dry rations wouldn't be a bad idea," O'Neill told him. "Just in case."  
  
"You're right." Shawn nodded and the Airman handed him a canteen, which he could fill before he left. He didn't want to tote around the extra weight of the water right now. He wasn't a badly injured as Jack was, but he was still pretty sore and stiff, although he was moving better than he had been.  
  
When they were finished, Jack picked up his pack – which wasn't all that big or heavy, since O'Neill wanted him to have more mobility than supplies – and they walked to the Gate room together. Shawn was carrying his B'kedricti, and had a Beretta in a holster on his right side, and a zat in a carrier on his left. Jack had insisted on the extra firepower, and would have loaded him down with more if the young man had extra arms to carry it.  
  
"Time for a quick bite to eat?" Shawn asked as they entered the Gate room and found Daniel and Teal'c standing around watching the technicians doing their regular Gate maintenance while they waited for O'Neill and Shawn to make an appearance. Jack was lounging on the floor next to Teal'c, and the yellow lab thumped his tail against the floor in greeting when the three walked in.  
  
"I think so. You hungry?"  
  
"I'm always hungry."  
  
Jack smiled, and looked over at Teal'c and Daniel, then turned when he heard the door opening behind him and saw Carter had joined them as well. She smiled, knowing that Shawn and Jack had managed to come to an agreement on his leaving, or O'Neill never would have looked so relaxed standing there as they prepared to send Shawn on his way.  
  
"We're going to get something to eat. You guys want to come?"  
  
"Has Janet found you?" Daniel asked.  
  
"Is she looking for me?" Jack asked innocently.  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"Well... she can wait. I'm hungry. She wouldn't deny me a meal, would she?"  
  
"I don't think she's worried about you starving to death, Jack," Daniel told him. "Ripping her well-placed stitches and bleeding all over her bandages was something she mentioned, however."  
  
Jack started to deny that, but changed his mind abruptly. "Are you coming, or not?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
They all walked out of the room and headed for the commissary, each thinking their own thoughts, and none of them speaking until they reached a table and sat down with their trays. As usual, Jack had loaded his own tray with plenty of extras for Jaffer, and Teal'c – who didn't spoil Jack nearly as much as Jack spoiled Jaffer – had done the same for his dog. O'Neill sat down next to Sam and across from Daniel and Teal'c, and Shawn pulled up a chair and sat between the Jaffa and the archeologist.  
  
"Oh! I almost forgot." Daniel reached into his pocket and handed over the arrowhead necklace they'd taken from Shawn when he first came through the gate, and the young man grinned with relief. He was sure he would have forgotten it if Daniel hadn't remembered. He slipped it on over his head, and tucked it under his shirt gratefully.  
  
"Thanks, Daniel."  
  
"You're-"  
  
"Colonel O'Neill." They all froze when they heard the voice behind Jack, although Teal'c had seen Fraiser coming up on them while everyone else's attention had been on Shawn getting his necklace back. O'Neill turned – hiding a grimace of pain at the way the movement pulled against the stitches in his side – and gave Fraiser his best smile.  
  
"Hey Doc. Have something to eat with us?" He pointed at his tray of food, the action making it seem that he and the others had merely been waiting for her to show up and join them. Janet knew better, but she had also heard from Sam that they were sending Shawn back to his own time, and that Jack had reservations about the safety of the trip, so she decided to let him get away with it this time.  
  
"Sure."  
  
She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Teal'c, reaching over and snagging the small dish of chicken nuggets that Jack had on his tray, and then taking a sandwich as well. Jaffer eyed the plate of nuggets as it changed hands, but everyone else was just staring at Fraiser. Daniel, Teal'c and Sam had been certain that Jack was going to get chewed out – and Fraiser was a first class chewer when she put her mind to it, as Shawn had discovered the hard way. Jack had expected her to give him one of her patented looks that clearly said the conversation wasn't over and would be discussed later, at her convenience. She didn't do either.  
  
"Don't you ever feed him?" Fraiser asked, ignoring the looks that the humans were giving her and looking down at Jaffer, whose big brown eyes were dolefully trying to convince her that he needed those chicken nuggets far more than she did. She handed him one, which he carefully took from her hand, and then gobbled quickly.  
  
"I try to avoid spoiling him," Jack replied straight-faced. Sam snorted and started coughing when she ended up with iced tea coming out of her nose, and Daniel wasn't doing much better with his coffee, which was far too hot to be snickering while drinking. 


	40. 40

It was time. Well, it was getting very close to time, anyways, and Hammond must have been getting nervous that Jack was going to do something to keep them from sending Shawn back, because right before they were about to leave the Commissary, they heard Hammond's voice paging O'Neill to the embarkation room. Then he paged the rest of the members of SG-1, and then Shawn.  
  
"That's our call," Sam said, pushing her chair back and standing up.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They had a good time, sitting there and chatting about nothing important. None of them asked Shawn about their futures, which didn't surprise the young man at all. They'd simply discussed the events of the night before, and the others had listened to Fraiser trying to convince Jack to let her see his bandages – to check them, she said. Jack, of course, had scowled and kept his bandages to himself, knowing that she wouldn't be happy with him for ripping the stitches and wanting to wait as long as possible to be chewed out for not taking care of himself.  
  
O'Neill passed Jaffer down the remnants of his lunch, which vanished immediately – even though the black lab had eaten everything everyone else had handed him as well and probably had had a bigger lunch than anyone, except possibly Jack (the dog). Then he stood up as well, although his face had once more taken on a troubled expression.  
  
"Relax, Jack," Shawn said softly as they all headed for the door. The young man wasn't the only one to notice the look, but since he was the reason for it, he was the one to do the reassuring.  
  
"I'm relaxed."  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
Shawn put his hand on O'Neill's shoulder affectionately, and smiled.  
  
"It'll be okay. You'll see."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Jack didn't sound as positive as Shawn did, but he was trying very hard to hide that fact. And failing. And he knew it, which was making him even more irritable than being nervous in the first place. He was just thinking the worst, and he knew he shouldn't. But he couldn't help it. Luckily, Shawn knew him well enough to not take it personally, and was cheerful and confident enough for the two of them.  
  
They entered the embarkation room with only a few minutes to spare, and the young man let go of Jack's shoulder, and turned to the others. It was weird to say goodbye to people he knew he was going to see in just a few minutes, but they'd done so much for him that he didn't want to just head off into the sunset without acknowledging that.  
  
Jack stepped off to the side as Shawn gave Sam a hug. Military decorum aside – after all, he did outrank her in this time period technically – he wasn't going to leave her without a goodbye hug.  
  
"I can't wait to watch you grow up," Carter whispered into his ear as she wrapped her arms around him carefully.  
  
Shawn laughed, gave Jack a sly look and then kissed Sam noisily.  
  
"That's not something I can get away with in my time," he said when he let her go.  
  
"It's not something you can get away with here, either," Jack warned him, leaning against the railing of the ramp. The words were serious, but the expression on his face told everyone in the room who knew him well that he didn't really mean it.  
  
Shawn laughed again, and shook hands with Daniel and Teal'c, and then with General Hammond. When he reached Fraiser, however, he had an unreadable expression on his face and he hugged her just as tightly as he had Sam, but he didn't kiss her. Sam assumed it was because it was harder to kiss someone when that person had chewed you out royally only the night before.  
  
"Thanks for everything, you guys." He told them. "It was really an adventure, wasn't it?"  
  
"Oh yeah," Daniel told him, smiling. They all looked over at Jack as the Gate began dialing, but O'Neill wasn't planning on saying goodbye, and Shawn knew it. He and Jack had had their talk already, and there wasn't anything else for them to say. Goodbye was too final, and Shawn expected to see him again in only a few minutes – 12 years older – and Jack was going to see Shawn soon as well – 12 years younger.  
  
Teal'c handed Shawn his pack and the young man put it on and pulled out the Beretta. It was more for Jack's peace of mind than for his own, because he was a lot more confident than O'Neill was about his destination.  
  
Sam was looking at her watch, which was coordinated with the exact minute he needed to be sent, and Shawn watched her for his cue to go.  
  
"Now, Shawn," Carter told him, waving him on his way with a slightly worried look. There was, after all, the slightest chance that Jack was right and the rest of them were wrong.  
  
"Thanks, Sam." He bolted for the Gate without looking back, both weapons held up where he could use them the instant he rematerialized on the other side – if he needed to. Jack watched silently, determined that whatever he was twelve years from then, if Shawn didn't show up where he was supposed to and it turned out to be a trap, he was going to take everything he could to the planet they'd just sent him to and would wipe out everything there.  
  
The gate shut down only a moment after he went through, and the embarkation room was silent.  
  
"Well," Daniel said, finally, breaking into Jack's dark thoughts and everyone else's concerns as well. "How do we find out if any of the Ashrak escaped the base before we brought in the Heftarii devices?"  
  
"I'm going to go talk to Dotty," Jack said.  
  
"Would she know?"  
  
"I bet she will."  
  
"Shall I accompany you, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. There was, after all, always the chance that if the Ashrak had escaped they might be heading for the mountains. After all, that was where the younger version of Shawn was, now, and he wasn't all that well protected.  
  
"Nah. I'm not expecting trouble." And he didn't want company just then.  
  
"I'll walk with you," Sam said. He might not want company, but she was going to give it to him, anyways. Jack nodded, knowing that telling her he didn't want her with him wouldn't accomplish anything but hurt her feelings, and he didn't have any desire to do that.  
  
~*~  
  
She walked him as far as his truck, but didn't say anything to him until he'd opened the door and Jaffer had jumped up into the passenger seat. The big lab was good at riding in the back of the truck, but the only time he ever did was when there was someone already taking up the passenger seat and the king cab. Otherwise he rode up front with Jack. Besides, even though the rain had stopped, the back of the truck was wet, and Jack wouldn't make his baby ride in back in the wet.  
  
"Are you okay?" She asked him finally.  
  
"Yeah." Since the door was still open it hid them from the view of anyone who might be watching, and Jack took a moment to lean against Carter, needing the touch even though he'd said otherwise. She understood, of course, and put her arms around him, pressing her cheek against his own.  
  
"He's fine, Jack. You can't dwell on this or it's going to drive you crazy."  
  
"I know, Sam. It's easier said than done, though."  
  
"I know."  
  
She ran her hand along his cheek, wishing she could think of something that might reassure him. But really, there wasn't anything she could say that hadn't already been said.  
  
"You sure you don't want company?"  
  
"I have company," Jack said, smiling slightly since Jaffer took that moment to stick his head between Jack and Sam, wuffling happily and looking for his own attentions. Sam smiled and rubbed the dog's ears. "I don't need any company right now, Sam," he told her, turning his head a little and brushing a tender kiss against her cheek. "But I will when I get back. Why don't you get everyone together and we'll go have dinner tonight?"  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yup. I'll even buy."  
  
"I'll let them know."  
  
"Fraiser and Hammond, too, if they want to come. As long as she promises not to be the Doctor tonight, and is just the friend."  
  
"How am I supposed to get her to agree to that?" Sam asked, stepping back so O'Neill could shut the door.  
  
"You're the genius, you figure it out."  
  
He gave her another smile, one that reached his eyes this time, and waved goodbye to her as he walked around to the driver's side of the truck and got in. 


	41. 41

The ride up to Bear Lake was one that Jack had made many times. A lot of those times, he'd made it with Jaffer and he knew from experience that the dog would need him to make at least one stop before they reached the lake. Luckily, there was a handy rest stop about halfway there, and the two of them pulled into the parking lot of the rest stop about an hour and a half after they'd left Cheyenne Mountain.  
  
Jaffer rarely needed a leash, but Jack carried one in his truck anyways, just on the off chance that he'd need it, and the rest stop was one of the places he used it. There were usually a lot of people at the stop, and sometimes there'd be families, stopped there to make lunch so the kids wouldn't have to eat in the car – which cut down on the chances of motion sickness episodes. Jaffer loved families with little kids and lunches, because his natural good looks and his sorrowful brown eyes were magnets for little kids and women, and he was almost certain to get something to eat from these people.  
  
Even though Jack was still feeling a bit depressed and worried about Shawn, Jaffer wasn't. The big lab jumped out of the truck the moment Jack opened the door – before he could snap the leash on - and he made a beeline for the nearest picnic table. Which held a small family with two little girls and their parents. The parents looked a little concerned when Jaffer came rushing up, his tail wagging furiously and his eyes grinning happily, but the little girls squealed with delight and instantly wrapped their arms around him, cooing over him and making a big fuss over the bandages that were wrapped around his belly and chest.  
  
O'Neill came trotting up – which wasn't fun when you were already aching and sore – and apologized. By then, though, the parents had been won over by the lab's friendliness and the obvious care he took to keep from bowling the little girls over, when it was easily apparent he could. They smiled at Jack, and asked all the usual questions – what was his name? How old was he? Lab, right? Purebred? He's beautiful! But with the bandages came new questions – what happened to him? How long would he have to wear them? You been have been so worried!  
  
Jack invented a story on the spot (A spectacular battle between Jaffer and a barbed wire fence) and then tried to hustle the black lab out of there so the family could enjoy their meal in peace. Before he managed it, though, Jaffer's bandages and good-natured flirting had convinced the girls and their parents that he needed their extra cheeseburger far more than they did. The helpless burger disappeared immediately after it was offered, and Jack shook his head at his dog's shamelessness.  
  
He gave the girls a chance to say goodbye to Jaffer, apologized again to the folks for interrupting their meal, then snapped the leash to the big dog's collar and hauled him out of the area and into the pet run area so he could stretch his legs and run around without Jack needing to chase him. Which O'Neill was grateful for.  
  
When he put the dog back into the truck, Jack realized that the stop had served another purpose besides giving Jaffer a chance to pee (and steal someone's food). O'Neill was feeling a little better than he had when they'd stopped. He was still worried, of course – Jack was a worrier by nature – but he'd relaxed a little while watching Jaffer run around playfully, allowing the dog's natural exuberance for life cheer him up. When he started the truck, he reached his hand over and slapped the big black butt warmly, then pulled out of the parking lot. Jaffer took the affection as his due, and settled in the seat with his head out the window watching the scenery pass as they drove the rest of the way to the lake.  
  
~*~  
  
Dotty Adams was on constant guard for trouble. She didn't know how things were going for Jack O'Neill and the others at the SGC so she didn't know if any more of the Ashrak had decided to leave Cheyenne Mountain and come up looking for her son in his smaller, more vulnerable form. As such, she was standing on the shore of the lake, watching as her son and husband fished from the boat only a few hundred yards offshore. She was close enough that she could keep an eye on Shawn, but far enough away that if she needed to deal with something – or someone – she could probably do it without them even noticing.  
  
When she heard the truck pull up beside the cabin, Dotty turned instantly, her hand in her pocket and her fingers lightly caressing the device that was never far from her reach. Then she saw who it was and a true smile creased her face. Jaffer jumped out the window of the truck, unwilling to wait for Jack to open the door, and rushed over to Dotty, who knelt down and caught the big dog's friendly attentions with an ease that belied her small frame. She loved Jack's dog, and made no secret of it, to Jack or to Jaffer. Her brow creased in concern when she saw the bandages wrapped tightly around the dog's belly, though, and her sharp eyes didn't miss the rest of the cuts that hadn't been covered. By the time Jack made his way over to Dotty, she'd already convinced Jaffer to sit still long enough for her to give him a thorough going over, so she could see just how hurt he was.  
  
"Jack!" She looked up at him from where she was kneeling, and then looked over towards the boat to make sure that Shawn and James were still plenty far enough away that they wouldn't hear their conversation. "Is he all right?"  
  
"He will be, Dotty," Jack said. "Things got a little hairy for a while there." He looked around, noticing Shawn's position immediately, and then his brown eyes went to Dotty. "How are things here?"  
  
"There are twelve Ashrak, Jack." Dotty told him, standing up and looking Jack over as carefully as she'd just examined Jaffer.  
  
"Then there's still five on the loose," Jack told her, scowling and looking around, concerned. "We killed six on the base – thank you for the Atarii things, by the way – and we found one dead by our gate."  
  
"Then there aren't any more. I killed five last night when I arrived here."  
  
"Five?" Jack couldn't hide his surprise.  
  
"The last one stayed with me just long enough to assure me of their numbers and how they arrived, then he joined his fellows." She didn't try to hide her satisfaction. "They came through the gate accidentally with Shawn – the older Shawn. Is he safe?"  
  
"A note came through the Stargate telling us all was clear and to send him back. It had the coordinates to the same world he'd been on when he gated here in the first place."  
  
"And you believed the note?" She could sense his unease.  
  
"Everyone else did. I... well, I was a little skeptical. The note was from me. In my handwriting, with my signature."  
  
"But you're still worried?"  
  
Jack nodded. "I just sent him back to the planet that he'd been ambushed on in the first place."  
  
"The you in the future probably had to use the gravity field that sent him here in the first place, and in order to do that, you'd have had to send him back to the place he'd come from before bringing him back to Earth."  
  
"The Earth Stargate coordinates were on the note as well, along with what is probably the planet's point of origin."  
  
"Then it's probably an authentic note, Jack." She reached out and put her hand on his arm to reassure him, and her eyes narrowed slightly.  
  
"You're injured?"  
  
"How did you know that?"  
  
She ignored the question. "Open your shirt."  
  
Jack scowled and Dotty laughed. "Do it, Jack."  
  
"If I didn't know you were happily married..." He grumbled as he untucked his shirt and unbuttoned it.  
  
"And of course, that'd be assuming you weren't madly in love with Sam – which we both know you are." She smiled again, and then grew serious as he revealed his bloody bandages.  
  
"Ashrak?"  
  
"Yeah. One of them had a knife. Wasn't much we could do."  
  
"You and Jaffer?"  
  
"And the others."  
  
"Everyone else okay?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
Dotty put her hand gently against O'Neill's bare skin, just below the bandages on his stomach, and closed her eyes for a moment. Before Jack could ask her what she was doing, he felt the ache that he was almost growing accustomed to beginning to fade. In only a moment, it was gone entirely, and Dotty opened her eyes once more and looked at Jack with satisfaction.  
  
"Better?"  
  
"How did you do that?" He put his hand against his side and pressed gently, but he didn't feel any pain at all.  
  
"It's a gift."  
  
"Wow."  
  
Dotty smiled and knelt down next to Jaffer and repeated the process with the black lab, who held unnaturally still for her. When she opened her eyes again, she stood up and slapped the dog's side happily.  
  
"Thank you, Dotty."  
  
"It's the least I can do, Jack. I owe you so much."  
  
"You don't owe me anything." He smiled down at her, and looked around once more, wanting to change the subject. "Do you need any help up here?"  
  
"No, Jack. But you're welcome to stay."  
  
"It's a family trip, Dotty. I'm not going to crash it."  
  
"You're family."  
  
"It's not the same..." Jack thought he did a fair job of hiding the slight ache of not being able to acknowledge the relationship between him and Shawn at this age, but Dotty must have caught it, because she reached up and touched his cheek gently.  
  
"You can have him any time you want him, Jack. For any amount of time. I promise I'll tell him who his father is as soon as he's old enough to understand."  
  
Jack caught her hand and squeezed it gently. "There's no rush. Let him be a kid for as long as you can. I'll take what I can get for now."  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to stay? We have plenty of food for four."  
  
"Nope, I'd better not." Jack grinned. "You don't have enough food to satisfy Jaffer's appetite, and I know you don't have enough healing gift to take care of him if we let him anywhere near a fishhook."  
  
She laughed; knowing from Shawn all the stories of Jack and Jaffer's previous fishing trips. "If you're sure."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll see you sometime this week. But if you need anything, call and I'll come running."  
  
"I will, Jack." 


	42. 42

They stopped at the rest stop once more, but this time Jack put the leash on Jaffer before the dog could jump out the door or the window. It was beginning to get late, and he had a dinner date. He didn't have time for Jaffer to make more new friends and mooch off them. Not unless he wanted to end up eating take out pizza. Not that he didn't like pizza, but he wanted something a little more exotic tonight.  
  
He went straight home instead of heading back to the SGC, knowing that Sam would either be there or would have left him a note or a message letting him know if the others were up for dinner, or if they'd decided to do something else. It wasn't a rule that they had to spend time with him just because he wanted company, after all, and they did have their own lives to lead outside work.  
  
His front door was locked, which meant Sam wasn't there. He and Jaffer walked in, and Jack turned on the answering machine and listened to the messages as he rummaged through his junk drawer looking for a pair of scissors. The first message was a wrong number. The second one was the same person, and Jack grinned when he heard the guy mutter a curse and yell something to someone who had been in the room with him about finding the right number before he drove this poor O'Neill guy crazy.  
  
"C'mere, Jaffer," Jack said, walking over to the sofa with the scissors and sitting down.  
  
Jaffer ambled over to him and Jack convinced him to sit still between his knees for a minute so he could cut the bandages off. As he was doing this, the next message came on the machine and this one was Sam. Jaffer looked around when he heard Sam's voice, but luckily he didn't squirm, since the blade of the scissors was right against the glossy hide.  
  
"'Cassandra and Janet would love to have dinner with us, Jack. Teal'c and Daniel will come, but everyone's thinking that a home cooked meal might be nice, and were wondering if that was all right with you? Janet says she'll do the cooking, so we're all invited over to her house. Call and let me know what you want to do as soon as you get this, so I can let her know. Okay?'" Sam sounded inordinately cheerful, even on the machine, and Jack scowled as he ran his hands along Jaffer's sides once he got the bandages cut off. The stitches were still there, and would need to be removed, but they weren't holding anything together, now. The slashes the wicked knife had made were gone.  
  
"Dinner out at Janet's tonight?" He asked his dog, holding the big head in his hands and smiling down at him. "You can see Cassie's dog, and Jack will be there if Teal'c is."  
  
Jaffer's tail thumped the floor happily. He didn't care where he ate as long as he was with Jack.  
  
He stood up and went over to make sure there weren't any more messages, but there weren't. He picked up the phone and called Carter's cell, thinking idly that he'd have to teach Jaffer to use the phone so he could do all the return calls.  
  
Sam didn't answer her phone, so Jack left a message telling her that dinner was fine with him. Then he called Janet's house. No one answered there, either. Jack pulled his shirt off and tossed it on the back of the couch, then used the scissors on his bandages as he tried calling Daniel to see if the archeologist had any idea when dinner was.  
  
The door opened just as he was pulling the bandages off, and Jack turned, with the phone still pressed against his cheek and ear as Jaffer launched himself towards the opening door with a low woof that told O'Neill that Jack was coming through the door before the big yellow lab came into sight. Jack wasn't the only one, though. Sam, Teal'c and Daniel all came through the door; Daniel carrying a large bag of groceries. Then came Hammond and Fraiser, and following them, holding another bag of groceries was Cassandra, who wrinkled her nose when she saw the bloody bandages all over the floor by Jack's feet.  
  
"Ick."  
  
"Hey Jack," Daniel grinned, looking over at Janet who was already walking over to O'Neill, her eyes already telling him he was in for a lecture for taking off his bandages without her permission.  
  
"Hi..." Jack looked at Sam, puzzled. "I thought dinner was at Janet's?"  
  
"Change of plans. I thought we could surprise you. Surprise." She leaned down to pet Jaffer, and noticed that his bandages were off as well. Then she realized that he didn't look as battered as he had earlier that day, and knelt for a closer look, just as Fraiser was running gentle fingers along O'Neill's side as well.  
  
"Jack? He looks like his cuts are already healed...."  
  
"He's not the only one," Janet said, taking Jack's left hand and looking at the place that Teal'c's yellow lab had slashed his wrist open. That was gone as well, although the stitches were still neatly in place. "How the hell...?"  
  
"Ooooooo..." Cassie very rarely heard her mother swear.  
  
Fraiser gave Jack a piercing look, and he grinned. Despite the fact that he knew it would be fun to keep her wondering, he was aware that she would probably kill him if he didn't tell her soon. Teal'c walked over and looked at Jack's side, which made everyone else come over as well.  
  
"Stop that."  
  
It was bad enough having Janet examining him, he didn't need everyone else gawking, too.  
  
"How did-?"  
  
"Dotty Adams."  
  
"She has a healing device of some sort?"  
  
"Oh, no. She just touched me and concentrated, and poof! All gone. No pain, no cuts, no nothing."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"That's what I said."  
  
"She did it to Jaffer, too?" Cassie asked, kneeling by the black lab, who started licking her face.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"She said it's a gift she has."  
  
"I wonder if Shawn has it as well?"  
  
"Probably not, or he would have used it, you'd think," Daniel said, running his finger along Jack's side.  
  
"Stop that." Jack moved away from them, and reached down to pick up the bandages. "I'm going to go take a shower." There was a lot of dried blood caking his chest and side, and even though there wasn't any pain, it was still rather gory looking.  
  
"We'll start dinner."  
  
"Can I take Jaffer and Jack outside?" Cassie asked. She had a short enough attention span that while Jack's miracle cure was neat; she wanted to do something else besides dwell on it.  
  
"Back yard." Jack said. It was fenced in.  
  
"Before you shower, Sir, I think you might want to see this." She pulled a paper out of her pocket and handed it to him.  
  
"What is it?" Jack asked, taking it from her. It looked like a crumbled up piece of paper that had been flattened smooth.  
  
"Read it."  
  
"'Jack. All clear. Jaffer wasn't needed. Shawn.'"  
  
"Is this-?"  
  
"It came through the Stargate about twenty minutes after you left, Colonel." Hammond told him, smiling.  
  
"You were going to give Shawn Jaffer?" Daniel asked in disbelief. Jaffer meant everything to Jack, and everyone knew it.  
  
"Well..." Jack looked down and read the note again, feeling the relief washing through him. There was no way this was a trick, since no one but Shawn knew that Jack had offered to give him the lab. "Of course not. I knew he was going to be fine." Before anyone could say anything else, Jack turned and headed down the hall, the note still firmly clutched in his hand, heading for a shower he desperately needed so he could enjoy the rest of the night with his friends. A night he could truly enjoy, since he knew now that everything really was okay.  
  
~*~  
  
Author's Note: We'll visit the future in the next chapter 


	43. 43

Author's note: Okay... this is MY vision of the future... just so you all know! This is basically what I'd have happen if I had my way.  
  
~*~  
  
Shawn had his guns up the moment he materialized, for the briefest moment allowing himself the thought that Jack might, after all, have been right and what would he do if he was? It only lasted a moment, though. Then he saw what was waiting for him on YD4-PLQ and the guns went down.  
  
A large yellow lab came rushing up to him, tail wagging furiously as he wuffled a happy greeting. Shawn grinned, and slid the Beretta back into his holster and then reached down and patted the dog while the rest of SG-1 came up to join their commanding officer.  
  
"Jesus, you had us worried!" Andrew told him, reaching out and shaking his hand with a huge grin on his face.  
  
"Me, too," Shawn said, returning the smile, and the handshake. "You guys okay?"  
  
"JJ took a tumble through the gate on the other side," Andrew said, gesturing at the dog, who didn't look any worse for the wear. "But it was only a shoulder sprain, and it's healed up, now."  
  
JJ was technically named Jack Jr., - well, on his official registration papers it was Colonel Jack O'Neill Jr. – but Jack Jr. was easier to say, and JJ was even easier. So that was what everyone called him. The yellow lab was Andrew's pride and joy, and an integral part of SG-1 for the last couple years.  
  
Shawn looked out at the other people who were waiting for him. There had to be at least twelve SG teams standing guard – along with at least that many vicious looking dogs - and he shook his head, although he didn't say anything. There was definitely no doubt that the coast was clear.  
  
"Where's Jack?"  
  
"Waiting for you at the SGC." Andrew told him. "He wanted to come, but there were other things he had to do."  
  
"How long have I been gone?"  
  
"A little over two months. It took us a while to find the proper order of gravitational anomalies to get you back to this time, and even longer for us to convince Jack that he shouldn't go back and get you himself."  
  
"You convinced him?" Shawn looked doubtful, and Andrew smiled.  
  
"You know better than that. Sam convinced him. He's waiting for you, though, and if we don't get you back he'll probably come tearing through the gate any minute, sure that something has gone wrong."  
  
"With this many people I can't imagine anything could."  
  
"That's the whole idea."  
  
Andrew turned to one of the soldiers standing by the dial home device, and waved his arm as he and SG-1 moved away from the gate and over to the side.  
  
"Dial it up, Sergeant."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
~*~  
  
The gate flared, and immediately a glimmering force field came up about ten feet from the event horizon. A one way wall of energy, it was designed that if an enemy came through the gate they could be mowed down very efficiently while the staff weapons – or whatever other kinds of weapons that the enemy possessed – would not be able to penetrate the shield and do any harm to those that were the first line of defense of Earth. It was a handy way to tell friend from foe without having to trust just the codes coming in – especially if the friend in question didn't possess a code. Designed and engineered by Sam and Shawn, it was something the remaining Goa'uld had no answer for, and probably never would.  
  
Everyone in the embarkation room tensed, and then the all clear was given as SG-1's code came flashing on a large screen above the Gate itself.  
  
"Lower the shielding."  
  
The voice that gave the command didn't belong to the Major General in charge of the SGC. It came from Jack O'Neill. But it was obeyed immediately. Even as Shawn and his team came through the gate, the shimmering wall faded.  
  
"Shawn!"  
  
A little boy broke from his father's side and rushed over to the young Lieutenant Colonel. It wasn't proper military procedure, but Jacob O'Neill didn't care. He wasn't going to be in the Military when he grew up, anyways. He was going to be an archeologist.  
  
"Jake!"  
  
Shawn handed Andrew his B'kedricti and scooped the little boy up in his arms, ignoring the sting from his ripped stitches as he did so. Unlike Shawn – who had only inherited a few of Jack's features, mainly his eyes, his smile, and the set expressions on his face when he was being stubborn – there was absolutely no question that Jacob was his father's son. He had the same eyes, the same face. Everything. The only part of him that was Sam – aside from his already budding intelligence – was his blonde hair.  
  
"We were sooo worried!"  
  
"I know, buddy. I'm sorry."  
  
Shifting Jake over to a one-armed hold, Shawn walked down the ramp with Andrew and stood in front of Jack and Sam. O'Neill wasn't in uniform. He hadn't worn a uniform in some time. Instead he was in a superbly tailored suit of a conservative blue. Sam was standing by him, looking lovely in an emerald green dress that was conservative, but at the same time absolutely stunning on her. Sitting on the other side of O'Neill was a very large black lab, his muzzle shot with gray, but the brown eyes filled with mischief as Shawn approached.  
  
"We brought him back, Sir." Andrew reported, unnecessarily, saluting.  
  
Jack smiled, and handed the 7-year-old girl in his arms over to her mother. Like Jacob, there was no doubt whatsoever that the little girl was Jack's. She, too, had inherited Jack's eyes, and though her features were more rounded than her father's and brothers', the smile she gave Shawn was a mirror to his own. Sam often complained that she hadn't had a chance to put much of herself into their children – although she privately loved the fact that they had Jack's eyes.  
  
"Well done, Major." Jack said, returning the salute.  
  
"Thank you, Sir."  
  
Jack turned his attention to Shawn.  
  
"You disobeyed my orders, Colonel."  
  
Shawn nodded, his chin coming up as he prepared for a royal ass chewing. One he deserved.  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"Do you think I give orders for my own amusement?"  
  
"No, Sir."  
  
"I told you YD4-PLQ was an ambush, didn't I?"  
  
"Yes, Sir." At the time, however, Shawn had wondered how O'Neill could be so certain. Now, of course, he knew. Shawn himself had told Jack everything he needed to know to decide that an ambush had been waiting for SG-1.  
  
"Never do that again, Shawn. Ever. If I tell you I don't want you to go somewhere, and you go there, I'll leave you there to rot. Understood?"  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
He didn't buy it, of course, and neither did the others in the room. Especially Sam and Andrew. But Shawn would do what he was told. Most of the time, anyways.  
  
"Sir?" One of the men who'd been standing behind Jack stepped forward before Jack could finish his chewing. O'Neill turned and looked at him.  
  
"Air Force One is refueled, Sir. They're waiting for us. Whenever you're ready."  
  
"Thank you." Jack turned back to Shawn and took Jacob from him, smiling gently at both of his sons. "Go get showered, and get that shoulder taken care of, and do it quickly. We have a party to attend."  
  
"A party?"  
  
"Hammond's good-bye party."  
  
"Already?"  
  
"It's been two months. Do what I tell you or I'll have Jaffer bite you."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
He turned and headed out the room, Andrew at his side.  
  
"They already had the election?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Hammond's leaving, but who's coming into Office?" Shawn couldn't tell by the way everyone had been acting in the embarkation room.  
  
"The administrations change sometimes, Colonel," Andrew told him with a smile as he motioned for JJ to lead the way down the hall. "But this time the people aren't. Jack won easily. You think he's been protective of you and the Stargate Program before? Just wait. No one will be able to touch us, now, and we can finally get free of the politics and finish what Jack and the others started." 


	44. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
~*~  
  
"Jack!"  
  
The boy pelted down the driveway as soon as O'Neill stopped his truck and opened the passenger door to let Jaffer out. The big lab jumped down from his seat and then jumped up on Shawn, promptly knocking the boy to the ground where he could be properly greeted with a good old fashioned mauling and several wet licks to the ears and neck.  
  
"Save me! Help Jack! Jack!" Shawn giggled uncontrollably as he pretended to ward off the attack, and Jack gave Jaffer a minute to have his fun before he called the dog off. At a command from Jack, Jaffer gave Shawn a final lick, then sprang to O'Neill's side where he waited for Shawn to get up and watched as the boy wiped the slobber off his face.  
  
"Are you packed?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Let's go say goodbye to your folks, then, shall we?"  
  
He put his arm around Shawn's shoulder as they walked to the door, where Dotty and James met them. Jaffer greeted both of them cheerfully, leaving a slobber trail on their clothing and bare skin.  
  
"Hi Jack," James said, smiling as shook O'Neill's hand.  
  
"Hey James. You guys ready for a week of peace and quiet?"  
  
"You know it. Are you ready for a week of chaos and mayhem?"  
  
"I live for this week." Jack grinned, looking down at Shawn, who was looking up, his face shining with excitement.  
  
"Go get your stuff, honey," Dotty told Shawn.  
  
"I'll help you, son."  
  
James and Shawn vanished down the hall and Jack smiled as he watched them go, then turned to Dotty.  
  
"I'll take good care of him."  
  
"I know, Jack. I see you're taking Jaffer this year."  
  
"I take him everywhere we go, Dotty. Camp is no exception. Gary Hines was more than willing to let him come, especially since he's so good with kids."  
  
"And you're bringing him because he'll know long before you do if there's something or someone around that might be invisible..."  
  
Jack nodded. He'd never forget how easily Jaffer and the other dogs had sensed the Ashrak, and ever since then, Jaffer had accompanied Jack and Shawn wherever they went. And not only because Jack loved his dog.  
  
"I won't ignore an advantage when I have one," Jack told her, seriously. "Teal'c is bringing Jack, as well, so we'll have plenty of warning. He'll be safe, I promise you."  
  
"I know, Jack." She smiled and rested her hand on his arm for a moment. "Try to remember to have fun, though, okay?"  
  
"Oh, we will, I promise you."  
  
"And don't get hurt!"  
  
"Me?" He gave her an innocent look that she recognized immediately, and she laughed. Before she could say anything, though, Shawn and James returned, carrying a huge bag and a backpack.  
  
"Ready!" Shawn gave his mom a hug, and rolled his eyes when she hugged him back and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Be good and listen to Jack."  
  
"I have to, mom! He's my counselor."  
  
"He'll be good or I'll toss him in the lake," Jack promised as he led them all out to his truck.  
  
~*~  
  
"Sam's coming with us?" Shawn asked as they pulled up to Carter's house.  
  
"Yup, her and Teal'c and Jack. Daniel would have come with us, but he's going up with Sally, instead. That way we're not so crowded in my truck."  
  
"And because he kind of likes her, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, there is that."  
  
Jack grinned and got out of the truck just as Sam came out of her front door carrying a bag and a backpack. She waved a hello and Shawn ran over to grab her backpack and carry it for her.  
  
"Hi Sam!"  
  
"Hi, Shawn. Are you ready?"  
  
"Yup! You?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
She was almost knocked over as Jack came rushing out the door behind her, running over to greet O'Neill, Shawn and Jaffer. The yellow lab didn't know they were going to camp, but he knew they were going somewhere, and he was excited. With a little confusion, and a lot of good-natured threatening, Jack and Teal'c managed to load the dogs and the gear into the back of the truck, and Sam and Shawn into the king cab.  
  
"Everyone belted in?" Jack asked as he started the truck.  
  
"Ready!" Shawn shouted from behind him.  
  
Jack smiled, and pulled the truck out into traffic, ignoring the way Jaffer was flirting with a couple of women in the convertible next to them. The day was warm and bright, the sun was shining and they were on their way to camp. What could possibly go wrong?  
  
The End  
  
~*~  
  
Author's note: This is the end of the Campers! series. There will probably be some short stories, but these will just be strictly for fun, and only because I have a lot of various characters I've created and I may want to play with them a little more, but it won't be focused around Shawn only. (I might do a few with Jack and Jaffer as the dog is growing up, and I want to do one with Gina – you guys remember her?)  
  
Okay! So the usual stuff... best line, worst part, favorite part?  
  
Just a side note: I'm not sure if anyone noticed this, but I decided that I'd give the Marines on the base a bit more credit than Star trek gives their security people and make them actually play a bigger part in my story than just being used as cannon fodder (even though they did end up taking a lot of casualties, they also actually made a difference) 


End file.
